A hard-right Presidential candidate in a major EU country is known for his passionate support for Donald Trump and MAGA – and he’s expected to win the first round of voting. George Simion, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), is known for his passionate support for the US President’s movement, and has even been pictured wearing a Trump cap.
The 38-year-old will be on the ballot on May 4 for the re-run of Romania’s election in December which was annulled following the shock victory of little-known, hard-right, pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu – which confounded polling. The surprising outcome left many political observers wondering how most local surveys were off, putting Georgescu behind at least five other candidates.
A top court then made the unprecedented move to annul the election after allegations emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference, as per AP.
Georgescu has denied any wrongdoing, and despite past praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and previously describing Ukraine as “an invented state”, claims not to be pro-Kremlin.
He is disqualified from the upcoming re-run of the ballot, with a possible run-off vote on May 18.
But his former rival turned close political ally, Simion, is on course to come top in first round with about 29% of the vote, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, which amalgamates “all well-conducted polls on a specific question into a single estimate of national political sentiment”.
You can find out more abou the poll’s methodology here.
Simion has spoken out against the Georgescu ban, branding it a “coup” and has suggested there would be a major role for him in his administration.
The far-right firebrand has described himself and Trump as having “the same ideology” in wanting to put their countries first, and is closely aligned with the American right. During a recent visit to Washington, he sat for interviews with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, a deeply influential figure on the US’ hard-right.
Georgescu’s barring has also become a cause célèbre among the far-right, and notably in Washington, with support coming from prominent figures such as Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk — who have both strongly criticised the move.
In a bizarre speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, Trump’s Vice President JD Vance said: “If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars (euros) of digital advertising from a foreign country — then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.”
Simion’s election could prove a major headache for the EU and Nato, both of which Romania is a member of, due to his previous expantionist rhetoric, and poor relations with Ukraine.
He has previously pledged to restore the country’s pre-World War Two borders, including areas in modern day Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine, as per Reuters.
The latter two countries have declared him persona non grata, preventing him from entering. He has softened his position on the matter more recently, the news agency reports.
Simion also reportedly says he supports more assertive role for Romania within both EU and NATO.
Other key candidates include Nicușor Dan, the Bucharest mayor running independently under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania,” and Crin Antonescu, who is backed by Romania’s governing coalition and is running on a “Romania forward” platform.
Victor Ponta, a former prime minister between 2012 and 2015 who resigned after large protests following a fatal nightclub fire, is also running on a MAGA-style “Romania First” ticket and boasts of having close ties to the Trump administration.
