Pro-European Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was leading in Sunday’s first round of Romania’s presidential election, according to two exit polls released soon after the end of voting.Ciolacu scored 25% of the vote while the centre-right former journalist turned small-town mayor Elena Lasconi was on 18%, according to the polls. Two far-right candidates scored 15% and 16% .Voting finished at 9pm.In the absence of an outright winner in the first round — scoring more than 50% — the top two candidates go through to a second-round run-off on December 8.Romanians voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election amid a surge in inflation and fears over the war in neighbouring Ukraine that could favour far-right leader George Simion.The vote kicks off two weeks of elections in the poor Nato member country, including a parliamentary vote and a December 8 presidential run-off.Social democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is leading a field of 13 contenders in the race to take over from President Klaus Iohannis in the largely ceremonial post. Ciolacu has about 25% support in opinion polls, followed by AUR leader Simion on 15% to 19% .Ciolacu, whose Social Democratic Party (PSD) has shaped the country’s politics for more than three decades, promised stability and a “decent” standard of living as he voted on Sunday.Simion, 38, has seen his popularity surge by tapping into voter anger over record inflation — 10% last year and 5.5% predicted for 2024 — while promising more affordable housing.Looking for a new election breakthrough for European far-right parties, he warned of possible “fraud” and “foreign interference” when voting. But he added: “I am happy that we are giving Romanians hope and the prospect of a better future.”Simion is targeting people like Rodica, a 69-year-old who was among the first to vote in Bucharest’s chilly sunshine. The pensioner, who would not give a family name, was afraid of the Ukraine war and wanted “better living conditions and peace”.Andrea Irimie, a 29-year-old teacher, was also concerned about Ukraine and said she wanted “change”.The stakes are high for Romania, which has a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine and has become more important since Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022.The Black Sea nation now plays a “vital strategic role” for Nato — as it is a base for more than 5,000 soldiers — and the transit of Ukrainian grain, the New Strategy Center think tank said.Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has further “complicated” Romania’s choice, political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP.Known for his fiery speeches, Simion is a Trump fan who sometimes dons a red cap in appreciation of his idol.Simion opposes sending military aid to Ukraine, wants a “more patriotic Romania” and frequently lashes out against what he calls the “greedy corrupt bubble” running the European Union.Having campaigned hard to win over Romania’s large diaspora working abroad, he said the country has only had “minions and cowards as leaders”.Analyst Pirvulescu predicted that if Simion reaches the second round his AUR party would get a boost in the December parliamentary election.“Romanian democracy is in danger for the first time since the fall of communism in 1989,” he added.”I’m really afraid we’ll end up with Simion in the second round,” 36-year-old IT worker Oana Diaconu told AFP, expressing concern about the far-right leader’s unpredictable nature and attacks on the European Union.The campaign has been marked by controversy and personal attacks, with Simion facing accusations of meeting with Russian spies — a claim he has denied.Ciolacu has been criticised for his use of private jets.Polling in third place is former journalist Elena Lasconi, who became mayor of the small town of Campulung and head of a centre-right opposition party, who some tip as a potential surprise package.Lasconi said she wanted a future “where no one has to pack their suitcases and leave” the country and for “institutions that work”.

Workers removed the Olympics logo from the Eiffel Tower in the early hours of on Friday, returning the beloved monument to its familiar form – but perhaps only temporarily.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has promised to build new Olympic rings and return them to the landmark as a tribute to the hugely successful Olympic Games held in the capital during July and August.The proposal has polarised opinion in the French capital and has been criticised by descendants of the tower’s designer Gustave Eiffel, as well as conservation groups.After initially suggesting the new rings should be permanent, Hidalgo has proposed they remain on the city’s world-renowned symbol until the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.Workers operating multiple large cranes removed the 30-tonne steel rings from between the first and second floors of the tower during the early hours on Friday.They were first installed just under four months ago, on June 7, and will now be melted down and recycled.The new rings, which the International Olympic Committee is expected to pay for, would be lighter versions of the originals and less prominent, according to a deputy Paris mayor, Pierre Rabadan.“In my opinion, it would be better to put them somewhere else because it’s a Parisian monument and it’s not right that it becomes an advertising medium for an event that is now over,” Hugo Staub, a French tourist at the tower on Friday told AFP.Culture Minister Rachida Dati, a long-time critic and opponent of Hidalgo, has also cast doubt over the idea, saying that the mayor’s proposal would need to respect procedures protecting historic buildings.However, others felt regret at losing a visual reminder of an enchanted period in Paris and expressed support for the idea of replacements.“They were a bit large so it’s better to put small ones that can remain for a few years,” said Gabriel, a French volunteer at the Games, who was at the foot of the iconic tower on Friday.“It would be symbolic and a great souvenir,” he added.After months of gloom and self-doubt in the run-up to the start of the Olympics on July 26, Paris and the country at large threw themselves into the spirit of the Games, which have been hailed as some of the best of the modern era.Hidalgo, in power since 2014, also wants to retain other symbols of the event such as the innovative cauldron placed in front of the Louvre museum as well as statues of illustrious women placed in the river Seine during the opening ceremony.Several conservation groups in Paris have urged the Socialist city leader to prioritise maintenance of the Eiffel Tower, which is owned and operated by the city, rather than the Olympic rings.The tower’s workers launched a five-day strike in February to protest against its state of disrepair and to request extra spending on painting and anti-rust protection.