Bangladesh, May 6 -- In a stunning political shift, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on May 5, following a seismic first round of presidential elections that catapulted George Simion, a right-wing nationalist and vocal critic of the European Union, into the lead. The resignation also signals the effective collapse of Romanias pro-EU ruling coalition, ushering in a period of political uncertainty for one of Eastern Europes key EU member states.

According to preliminary results reported by G4 Media, with over 95% of the ballots counted, Simion – leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) – captured an impressive 40.52% of the vote. His nearest competitors, former Senator Crin Antones...