Romanian presidential vote favourite says he will bring back banned far-right contender

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian hard-right politician George Simion on Sunday said that if he wins the country's presidential election, he could restore banned presidential contender Calin Georgescu to a leadership post.

Simion, a eurosceptic nationalist, was leading in opinion polls going into Sunday's first round of voting five months after the original vote in the EU and NATO state was canceled because of alleged Russian interference in favour of Georgescu. Moscow denies the allegation.

Simion took over after Georgescu was banned from standing due to criminal charges over campaign funding and membership of a fascist organization, charges he denies. Anger at the cancellation and charges has helped fuel Simion's campaign.

"There are several ways in which, if the Romanian people want, Mr. Georgescu can be in the leadership, and we will use it," Simion told foreign reporters on Sunday.

"We can form a majority and have him as a prime minister; we can have snap elections, or we can call for a referendum," Simion said, without specifying what referendum he was considering.

While the president nominates the prime minister, he cannot legally interfere with attempts to form ruling majorities.

A snap election, triggered if parliament rejects two proposed cabinets within 60 days, looks unlikely as it has never happened before, with lawmakers traditionally finding a way forward, however fractious.

Romania held a parliamentary election on Dec. 1, in which Simion's Alliance for Uniting Romanians and two other hard-right groupings won some 35% of seats.

Even so, the prospect of a Georgescu-led government could unsettle investors, as he has repeatedly said he favoured nationalizations and preferential treatment for Romanian companies.

Simion is polling at around 30%, a comfortable lead but well short of the 50% he needs to avoid a run-off on May 18. His main rivals are two centrists with opinion surveys suggesting both could defeat Simion in the second round.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Conor Humphries)