Romania’s pro-European Union, centrist presidential candidate Nicușor Dan won the country’s election Sunday, defeating his ultranationalist rival in a shocking upset.

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Nicusor Dan, the former civic activist and pro-European Union centrist politician who defied the odds to decisively defeat a hard-right nationalist in Romania’s critical presidential race, has emerged as a counterforce to the right-wing populist wave sweeping across Europe.

The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency