The surprise far-right winner of the first round of Romania's presidential election has denied he wants to leave NATO and the European Union, appearing to roll back some of his positions amid protests over his victory.

Calin Georgescu, a Romanian hard-right NATO critic, appeared in a dead heat with leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu after the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, partial tallies showed,

Romania's political landscape was left shocked after pro-Russia populist Calin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election. The far-right leader knocked the EU-leaning premier out of the race that will be decided in a December run-off.

Calin Georgescu, who has stunned Romania and its European allies by leading the first round of the eastern European country's presidential election, is a far-right, self-styled outsider critical of NATO and of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Romania’s political scene has introduced Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right populist, who surprised the nation by leading the first round of the presidential election with 22.95 per cent of the vote.

The judo-loving TikTok campaigner won most votes in the first round of the presidential election. Here’s what it means.

Calin Georgescu, the little-known far-right politician, used TikTok to spread his anti-EU, anti-NATO message and win the first round of Romania's presidential election.