Romanians
vote in election that could propel ultranationalist Trump ally to power
George
Simion, 38, comfortably ahead in polls as first round of voting begins in
presidential election
Jon Henley
Europe correspondent
Sun 4 May
2025 06.00 CEST
Romanians
are voting in a presidential election rerun that could propel to power an
ultranationalist who opposes military aid to Ukraine, has fiercely criticised
the EU’s leadership and describes himself as a “natural ally” of Donald Trump.
George
Simion, 38, is comfortably ahead in the opinion polls before the first-round
vote in the EU and Nato member state, nearly six months after the original
ballot was cancelled amid evidence of an alleged “massive” Russian influence
campaign.
The election
is being closely watched: a far-right victory could lead to Romania, which
shares a border with Ukraine, veering from its pro-western path and becoming
another disruptive force within the bloc and the transatlantic defence
alliance.
After the
election was cancelled, hard-right politicians worldwide, including senior
Trump administration figures, accused Bucharest of trampling on free speech and
ignoring “the voice of the people”. The US vice-president, JD Vance, accused
Romania’s authorities of “cancelling elections because you don’t like the
result”.
The original
vote last November was won by Călin Georgescu, a far-right, anti-EU,
Moscow-friendly independent who declared zero campaign spending but surged from
less than 5% days before the vote to finish first on 23%.
The
constitutional court annulled the vote after declassified intelligence
documents revealed an alleged Russian influence operation, including multiple
cyber-attacks on the electoral IT system and large-scale social media meddling
in Georgescu’s favour.
In February,
Georgescu, who denies any wrongdoing, was placed under investigation on counts
including misreporting campaign finances, misuse of digital technology and
promoting fascist groups, and in March he was barred from standing in the
rerun.
Simion hopes
to benefit from public anger at the cancellation and Georgescu’s disbarment.
“It is clear a strong anti-western trend has been built up and Romania’s
direction is at unprecedented risk,” said Cristian Pîrvulescu, a political
scientist.
As in the
original campaign, social media – especially TikTok – is playing a major part.
Simion, whose posts combine nationalist rhetoric with an emotionally charged
delivery and direct-to-camera speeches, has 1.3 million followers on the app.
“The time
for rebirth has come,” he said in a video posted on Tuesday. “Our nation will
find its way again … We have within us the power to be reborn and to move
forward, more united and stronger.”
The
far-right candidate, whose party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians
(AUR), began as an anti-vaxx movement during the pandemic, aims to bring
Georgescu into government if he wins, though the far right does not have a
parliamentary majority.
Describing
himself as “more moderate” than Georgescu, Simion has repeatedly insisted on
Romania’s “sovereignty”. He has called for territories that were part of
Romania but were ceded to the USSR in the second world war and are now part of
Moldova and Ukraine to be returned to Romania. Simion is banned from entering
both Moldova and Ukraine.
In contrast
to Georgescu, however, Simion has frequently denounced Russia, while lashing
out at Brussels and praising Trump’s Republicans in the US. He has said he aims
to set up an alliance of countries within the EU “in the spirit of Maga”.
On about 30%
in the polls, Simion is about 10 points clear of his two centrist rivals, the
mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, and Crin Antonescu, backed by the ruling
Social Democratic party (PSD) and centre-right National Liberal party (PNL).
Despite his
convincing polling lead, it appears unlikely Simion will secure the 50% of the
vote needed to win outright on Sunday. Instead, he is seen advancing to a
second-round runoff, due on 18 May, against either Antonescu or Dan.
Romania’s
president has a semi-executive role with considerable powers over foreign
policy, national security, defence spending and judicial appointments. They
also represent the country on the international stage and can veto important EU
votes.
If he is
elected, Simion has said he will make public the records of meetings that led
to the original election being cancelled, and also reveal “how much we have
contributed to the war effort in Ukraine, to the detriment of Romanian children
and our elderly”.
Having
placed fourth in the November ballot, he refused to participate in TV election
debates this week, saying the annulment was a “coup d’état”, Georgescu should
have been at the table, and he was staying away “out of respect for the will of
the people”.
Polling
stations opened at 7am local time on Sunday and close at 9pm, with the first
exit polls expected soon after. In the event of a close result, the final
outcome could take many hours to be confirmed, as between 5% and 7% of votes
are cast abroad
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