ANOTHER DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED FASCIST
Far-right candidate George Simion wins first round of Romanian election
Paul Godfrey
Mon, May 5, 2025
UPI
Ultra-nationalist party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians leader George Simion speaks at a press conference Sunday outside the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, Romania. Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA-EFEMore
May 5 (UPI) -- Far-right candidate George Simion was declared the winner Monday in the first round of Romania's presidential election, which is being rerun after the result from a race in November was annulled amid allegations of fraud and Russian interference.
A run-off election will be held May 18 because Simion only polled 40.96% of the vote -- short of the 50% needed for an outright win. He is expected to prevail as his liberal rival, Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan and runner-up in Sunday's ballot, received half as many votes.
"With yesterday's historic vote, the Romanian people have spoken. It's time to be heard! It was more than a choice -- it was an act of courage, trust, and unity. It is the victory of those who truly believe in Romania -- a free, respected, sovereign country!" Simion, leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, wrote in a post on X.
"This is the dawn of a great era. Sovereign nations, freedom and common sense, not tyranny, sick ideology and endless abuses," he added in a reference to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's accusing Germany's government of "tyranny in disguise" after it designated the far-right Alternative for Germany party a far-right extremist organization.
Dan beat the candidate of the Social Democratic Party-led coalition government, Crin Antonescu, into third place with the Adevarul newspaper reporting that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had told close party colleagues that he is willing to resign from both the leadership of the Government and the PSD in a move that is seen as a boost for Dan's chances as the candidate of the center.
Alexandru Muraru, leader of the National Liberal Party, Romania's third-largest party, also threw his support behind Dan on Monday.
A run-off election between the pro-Russian nationalist Calin Georgescu and centrist Elena Lasconi was canceled days before it was due to take place Dec. 8. The Constitutional Court in Bucharest ruled the annulment of "the entire electoral process regarding the election of the president of Romania," citing a Russian propaganda campaign to influence the outcome in Georgescu's favor as the reason.
Declassified Romanian intelligence documents detailed a security services warning that the electoral system had been targeted by Russia in an "aggressive hybrid action" to boost the fortunes of Georgescu, a previously unknown candidate.
The intelligence concluded that Georgescu's first round victory in the ninth presidential election since the 1989 Romanian revolution, with just under 23% of the vote, was "not a natural outcome" and that a "state actor" catapulted him over Lasconi and Ciolacu with an artificially coordinated social media campaign.
That led to him being dubbed the TikTok candidate due to the blanket promotion he received on the platform from 25,000 TikTok accounts activated two weeks before the election.
The then-U.S. administration of President Joe Biden condemned the alleged Russian interference, saying Romanians must have confidence that their elections reflect the democratic will of the Romanian people "free of foreign malign influence aimed at undermining the fairness of their elections."
Simion and Georgescu were seen voting together on Sunday, with many of the latter's supporters believed to have transferred their vote to Simion.
As in November's poll, hundreds of thousands of people in Romania's global diaspora cast their votes from overseas at almost 1,000 polling stations set up in Italy, Malta, Spain, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium the Netherlands and the United States.
The BBC said Simion won the votes of more than 70% of Romanians voting in Italy, Spain and Germany.
Reuters
Sun, May 4, 2025
Romania holds new presidential election
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)
Hard-right candidate Simion secures decisive win in first round of Romania’s presidential redo
STEPHEN McGRATH
Sat, May 3, 2025
Presidential candidate George Simion exits a voting cabin before casting his vote in the first round of the presidential election redo in Mogosoaia, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Presidential candidate George Simion is shown on a screen at the meeting of his supporters after polls closed for the first round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Presidential candidate Crin Antonescu, centre, attends a meeting with supporters after polls closed for the first round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hard-right nationalist George Simion secured a decisive win Sunday in the first round of Romania’s presidential election redo, nearly complete electoral data showed. The election took place months after an annulled vote plunged the European Union and NATO member country into its worst political crisis in decades.
Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, was far outpacing all other candidates in the polls with 40.5% of the vote, official electoral data shows, after 99% of votes were counted from Sunday's vote.
Far behind in second place was Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 20.89%, and in third place the governing coalition’s joint candidate, Crin Antonescu, with 20.34%. He conceded defeat after midnight, saying he believes it's an “irreversible result.”
Eleven candidates vied for the presidency and a runoff will be held on May 18 between the top two candidates. By the time polls closed, about 9.57 million people — or 53.2% of eligible voters — had cast their ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau, with 973,000 votes cast at polling stations set up in other countries.
Election redo held after vote annulled
The rerun was held after Romania’s political landscape was shaken last year when a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
In a prerecorded speech aired after polls closed, Simion said that despite many obstacles, Romanians “have risen up” and “we are approaching an exceptional result.”
“I am here to restore constitutional order,” said Simion, who came fourth in last year’s race and later backed Georgescu. “I want democracy, I want normalcy, and I have a single objective: to give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them and to place at the center of decision-making the ordinary, honest, dignified people.”
As in many EU countries, antiestablishment sentiment is running high in Romania, fueled by high inflation and cost of living, a large budget deficit and a sluggish economy. Observers say the malaise has bolstered support for nationalist and far-right figures like Georgescu, who is under investigation and barred from the rerun.
Georgescu, who appeared alongside Simion at a polling station on Sunday in the capital, Bucharest, called the vote rerun “a fraud orchestrated by those who have made deceit the only state policy,” but said he was there to “acknowledge the power of democracy, the power of the vote that frightens the system, that terrifies the system.”
The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy.
Widespread distrust in the authorities
Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former anti-corruption activist who founded the Save Romania Union party (USR) in 2016, ran on a pro-EU “Honest Romania” ticket.
“It is about the trust of Romanians and our partners in democracy ... and in my opinion, it is a new beginning that we all have a responsibility to do correctly,” Dan said after the polls closed.
Antonescu, 65, a veteran centrist who campaigned on retaining Romania’s pro-Western orientation, said Sunday that he voted for “a united Romania, for a strong Romania, for a dignified Romania.”
“Democracy means a battle, sometimes taken to the maximum, but it is a battle of ideas,” he said after voting had closed. “Let’s not forget that we are fellow citizens, sons of the same country, and we must move forward together.”
Victor Ponta, who was prime minister from 2012-2015, also pushed a MAGA-style “Romania First” campaign and boasted of having close ties to the Trump administration, stands in fourth place with 14.3% of the vote.
Elena Lasconi, who came second in last year’s first round ballot and participated in the rerun, only obtained about 2.6% of the vote. She positioned herself as a staunchly pro-Western, anti-system candidate, railing against what she described as a corrupt political class.
Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, said Simion's clear victory indicates a complete “reshape” of the political spectrum, and that if Dan reaches the runoff, “it will be a clear signal that the political class and the political establishment have lost.”
“You have a populist or pro-sovereign movement ... and you also have this liberal, urban, pro-Western segment of Romania that wants change,” he said, adding that it would be a “huge rejection of the classic political parties ... and this will mean that the entire political spectrum will be reshaped."
Crossroads moment for Romania
Distrust in the authorities remains widespread, especially for those who voted for Georgescu, a sizable electorate that Simion has sought to tap into.
“The antiestablishment sentiment is not like an anarchic movement, but is against the people who destroyed this country,” Simion told The Associated Press days before the rerun. “We are not a democratic state anymore.”
Simion said that his hard-right nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party is “perfectly aligned with the MAGA movement,” capitalizing on a growing wave of populism in Europe after U.S. President Donald Trump’s political comeback. AUR rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election, proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom,” and has since doubled its support.
Rares Ghiorghies, 36, who works in the energy sector and voted for Simion, says he hopes that if he secures the presidency, Romania can “return to the basic principles of democracy, regain our confidence.”
“What happened in December 2024 is definitely a dark chapter in the history of this country, and we can no longer accept it,” he said. “I’m hoping things will get back to normal.”
The election redo is a crossroads moment for Romania as it seeks to restore its democracy and retain its geopolitical alliances, which have become strained since the canceled election fiasco.
The decision to annul the election and the ban on Georgescu’s candidacy drew criticism from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Russia, which publicly supported his candidacy in the rerun.
Romania's hard-right candidate will face a pro-EU reformist in presidential runoff
STEPHEN McGRATH
Mon, May 5, 2025
Presidential candidate Nicusor Dan speaks to media, surrounded by supporters, after polls closed in the first round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduard Vinatoru)ASSOCIATED PRESS
A woman holds a baby as she casts her vote in the first round of the presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Presidential candidate George Simion addresses supporters via video link after polls closed for the first round of the country's presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)ASSOCIATED PRESSMore
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — After decisively winning the most votes in Romania's first-round presidential election redo, hard-right nationalist George Simion will face a pro-Western reformist in a pivotal runoff in two weeks that could reshape the European Union and NATO member country's geopolitical direction.
Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, far outpaced all other candidates in the polls with 40.96% of the vote, according to official electoral data, after all votes were counted from Sunday’s election. In second place was reformist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 20.99%.
The runoff will be held on May 18 between the two staunchly anti-establishment candidates but ideological opposites, who have made their political careers railing against Romania’s old political class.
Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former anti-corruption activist who founded the Save Romania Union party (USR) in 2016, ran on a pro-EU ticket, told the media early Monday that “a difficult second round lies ahead, against an isolationist candidate.”
“This was a democratic process that Romania needed … this won’t be a debate between individuals, it will be a debate between a pro-Western direction for Romania and an anti-Western one,” he said. “I call on all Romanians to be part of this battle, and I am optimistic that we will win.”
In third place was the governing coalition’s joint candidate, Crin Antonescu, with 20.07%, and behind him Victor Ponta, a former prime minister from 2012-2015, with 13% of the vote, while Elena Lasconi, who came second in last year’s first round ballot, only obtained about 2.6%.
Final turnout stood at 9.57 million people — or 53.2% of eligible voters, according to data from the electoral authorities.
Last year’s election was annulled after the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
The election redo took place months after an annulled vote plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
Simion, who came fourth in last year’s race and later backed Georgescu, said in a pre-recorded speech aired after polls closed Sunday that, “I am here to restore constitutional order. ”
“I want democracy, I want normalcy, and I have a single objective: to give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them and to place at the center of decision-making the ordinary, honest, dignified people,” he said.
After her poor showing in Sunday's vote, Lasconi announced her resignation on Monday as leader of the USR party, saying, “I fought with all my strength against a rotten, corrupt system that has kept us captive for 35 years.”
“Our efforts must be directed toward supporting a pro-European path and accelerating the transformation of a system that has proven dysfunctional and not in the citizens’ interest," she said.
The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy.
Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, said Sunday’s outcome will likely trigger a “crisis” within the mainstream parties, and the runoff will pit pro-Western ideas against “more conservative, patriotic messaging.”
“We’ll have two anti-establishment candidates, one that is anti-establishment with a more conservative view of how Romania should advance, and a pro-Western anti-establishment,” he told The Associated Press. “This is the most important thing to say: that it will be like a total anti-establishment movement on both sides of the road.”
In a speech conceding defeat, the governing coalition’s candidate, Antonescu, distanced himself and did not endorse either candidate in the runoff, saying, “I was not part of the coalition.”
“I presented a program, some ideas, and some people voted for me. I urge them to decide for themselves which of the remaining candidates best aligns with the ideas I put forward,” he said. “I encourage everyone who voted for me today to show up and vote.”
Distrust in the authorities remains widespread, especially for those who voted for Georgescu, a sizable electorate that Simion has sought to tap into.
Simion said that his hard-right nationalist AUR party is “perfectly aligned with the MAGA movement,” capitalizing on a growing wave of populism in Europe after U.S. President Donald Trump’s political comeback. AUR rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election, proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom,” and has since doubled its support.
No comments:
Post a Comment