Bucharest, Romania - On Friday, thousands of people gathered in the Romanian capital for a pro-European Union parade. The week ahead of a closely watched presidential election final vote, which puts a tough nationalist leader in the capital's pro-EU mayor.

Marchers gathered in Bucharest in front of the government building, with many waving the blue and yellow flags of Europe. Many chants, such as “We’re in Europe” and “Bucharest is not Budapest” refer to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but are also a long-time critic of the EU.

Romania was a communist country until 1989 when Romania joined the EU in 2007. But last year, when the top courts failed to work on the last election, it fell into its worst political crisis in decades. The far-right outsider Calin Georgescu was ranked first in the first round after Moscow denied alleged election assault and Russian intervention.

The rally came nearly a week after the first round of the presidential election reworked, with tough nationalist George Simion, 38, taking the lead. The second is 55-year-old current Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.

"We need to develop … we want to be the best country and we don't have the possibility of our own," said Stefan Gheorghe, a 23-year-old lawyer. "You need the European Union to help us. It's very important for us to be together and to benefit each other."

Median polls before runoff show that Simion held a lead between two staunch anti-favorite candidates on May 18. Observers warn that the results could reshape the geopolitical direction of EU and NATO members.

After finishing second place on Sunday night, Dan said the final vote was “a choice between a pro-Western and an anti-Western direction in Romania.”

Critics of Simion have long accused him of being friendly to Russia and warned his presidency that would undermine the EU and NATO as the war in Moscow drags on in Ukraine. However, in an interview with the Associated Press this week, Simon rejected the charges and said: "It's not about the interests of the Romanian people who are close to Russia."

"We want to be a member of the EU. Some false news says we want to withdraw from the European project," said Simion, who leads Romania's second largest political party, a united alliance of Romanians. "We don't want to leave. We stay here. We invested a lot."

Simion, who ranked fourth in last year's competition, later supported Georgescu, said in an earlier interview with AP that he wanted to see "more power" and would be given to the group's 27 individuals, "not moving towards European institutions."

Similar rally was held in several Romanian cities on Friday to mark European Day, which announced the celebration of peace and solidarity in Europe.

Although Simion and Dan are ideological oppositions, they both put their political professions against the old political class in Romania, which fell into opposition, which was inadequate and voters seized the country's strong opposition sentiment.

For Diana Draghici, 38, the upcoming runoff will be a critical moment for Romania’s future and a choice between building stronger EU relations or a possible shift to the east.

"I think it's important that the young people who are undecided have not voted so far … to wake up the phone and choose the person they want to represent," she said. "It can determine two very different situations in Romania's future."