The period between the two rounds of the 2025 presidential elections was an extremely active one from a media point of view. The remaining candidates in the race for Cotroceni, Nicușor Dan and George Simion, came to the public’s attention both in the TV and digital space. Two recent analyses by Klarmedia provide a comparative picture of the visibility of the two between May 5-9, 2025, balancing TV coverage and social media activity.
2025 Presidential Elections TV Index: Nicușor Dan vs. George Simion
Klarmedia has published the 2025 Presidential Elections TV Index analysis which monitors and analyzes the visibility of candidates in the presidential elections on television, in the period between the two rounds of elections. The present study covers the period May 5-9, 2025 and complements the study that focused on the period before the first round. Click here to see the results of the previous study.
The Klarmedia 2025 Presidential Elections TV Index analysis was carried out based on the content broadcast by national TV channels, including in the top channels that broadcast a significant volume of materials about the candidates. The study reflects the total volume of the materials, without distinguishing between the positive, negative or neutral tone of the mentions.
According to the Klarmedia 2025 Presidential Elections TV Index study, Nicuşor Dan and George Simion benefit from similar visibility on TV channels.
Top visibility of candidates on television channels between May 5-9, 2025:
1. George Simion – 2,935 materials
2. Nicusor Dan – 2,852 materials
The most active TV channels in terms of broadcasting materials about the candidates for the presidential elections were Realitatea Plus and Antena 3 CNN, with roughly close number of mentions, followed by Digi24, EuroNews and Romania TV, which complete the top of the channels with the most intense media coverage of the candidates for the presidential elections in the first week.
The most active TV channels:
1. RealitateaPlus – 832
2. Antena3 – 762
3. Digi24 -696
4. Euronews – 660
5. Romania TV – 650
6. AlephNews TV – 569
7. B1 – 472
8. ProTV – 232
9. Antena1 – 223
10. TVR Info – 191
11. TVR 1 – 168
12. Prima News – 133
13. Prima TV – 85
14. TVR 2 – 56
15. KanalD – 43
Social media activity: Nicușor Dan vs. George Simion
In the digital environment – social media, the dynamics are different. Although Nicușor Dan had a significantly more intense activity than George Simion in terms of the number of posts on his own pages – 109 compared to 38 -, Simion managed to generate a higher engagement. Online activity was monitored on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, as shown by Klarmedia’s analysis.
It measures the activity of candidates Nicuşor Dan and George Simion in the same period, May 5-9, on their own social media pages (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). Figures are presented on the number of posts made by the two on each social media platform, but also the engagement generated by their activity: the number of likes, shares and comments on these posts.
Between May 5-9, Nicuşor Dan had a number of 109 posts on his own social media pages and accounts (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube), while George Simion had 38 posts. Both candidates have the most posts on their Facebook pages. While Nicuşor Dan has an intense activity on Instagram too, George Simion prefers to use Twitter.
Of the 106 posts made by Nicuşor Dan, 28 were on Facebook, 27 on Instagram, 22 on Twitter, 18 on Youtube and 11 on TikTok. George Simion had 13 posts on Facebook and Twitter, 7 on TikTok, 3 on YouTube and 2 on Instagram.
If Nicuşor Dan has a visibly higher number of posts than his opponent George Simion, in terms of engagement generated, George Simion leads the ranking. He registers an engagement of 2,912,380, and most of the reactions come from the TikTok platform, followed, in order, by Facebook and Twitter.
Comparatively, Nicuşor Dan has an engagement of 1,969,757, with the most reactions appearing on Facebook and Instagram.
Nicușor Dan vs. George Simion: a balanced confrontation?
Klarmedia’s analyses show a balanced confrontation in terms of TV exposure, but with different social media strategies. Nicușor Dan has an intense, multiplatform approach, relying on volume. Instead, George Simion is betting on impact, achieving a higher level of interaction with fewer posts, especially on the TikTok platform. This difference between visibility and the efficiency of message communication could influence the public’s perception in the electoral final.
It is worth mentioning that both candidates opted for a natural continuation of the strategy they used on social media in the previous period, i.e. in the electoral period prior to the 1st round of the elections. As shown by Klarmedia’s analysis from 01.03.2025 to 04.05.2025, Nicuşor Dan dominated at that time in terms of the number of posts made on official social media accounts and pages, with a total of 944 posts. Of these, 322 appeared on Facebook, 277 on Instagram, 133 on TikTok, 169 on Twitter and 43 on YouTube.
Comparatively, George Simion had, in the same period, a total of 292 social media posts: 111 on Facebook, 12 on Instagram, 49 on TikTok, 109 on Twitter and 11 on YouTube.
The strategy is similar to the current one when it comes to engagement, as George Simion dominated the top at that time, with 10,453,376 reactions, while Nicușor Dan ranked 3rd at that time, after Victor Ponta, with 6,737,413 reactions to his posts.
Both Nicușor Dan and George Simion maintain in the period between the two rounds of elections (May 5–9, 2025) the strategic directions in digital communication and social media previously assumed, in the campaign prior to the first round (March 1 – May 4). The comparative analysis of the two intervals carried out by Klarmedia reveals a clear continuity in terms of the way each candidate manages his presence on social networks: Nicușor Dan constantly relies on volume and multiple presence on all social platforms, while George Simion prefers a selective presence, but with a stronger impact in terms of engagement.
