George Simion, president of the Nationalist organization Alliance for Romanian Unity (AUR) announced his participation in the repeated presidential election, after Romanian electoral authorities and the Constitutional Court ruled Călin Georgescu out.
Initially, AUR sought to challenge Georgesc's disqualification, putting force on the authorities and announcing a parliamentary boycott. However, the impending deadline for applications prompted Simion to run independently in the election to guarantee the right presence in the campaign.
At the same time, the leader of the insignificant Nationalist organization of Young People (POT), Anamaria Gavrilă, besides reported her candidacy as an alternate solution. If both candidates are approved, 1 of them is likely to retreat to consolidate the right-wing electorate.
The hazard of further elimination remains high. The political establishment already raises arguments about the “unconstitutional” views of Simion and Gavrili, which could consequence in further exclusions. However, the removal from the election of candidates with support of a crucial part of the Romanian electorate could undermine their legitimacy and lead to a wave of mass protests.
Simion will easy collect the required 200,000 signatures, and polls indicate that after Georgesc's elimination he became the main favourite of the election with 28% support. His main rivals, erstwhile Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Mayor of Bucharest Nicușor Dan, enjoy 22% and 19% respectively. It is possible that political turmoil will further strengthen Simion's position.
On Sunday, the Central Election Office (BEC) rejected Georgesc's candidacy by 10-4 votes, with opposition from the opposition. This decision came after the annulment of last year's election in which Georgescu won the first round. His triumph was cancelled on suspicion of Russian interference, although no conclusive evidence was presented.
A day later, the Constitutional Court (CCR) unanimously upheld the BEC decision, rejecting Georgesc's appeal despite mass protests. Tens of thousands of people gathered in court, condemning this decision as politically motivated.
Simion powerfully criticized the verdict of the court, identifying it as a violation of the principles of democracy. He besides condemned the “tactics of intimidation” applied by the authorities to protesters, referring to many arrests during clashes with the police. He demanded an investigation into the brutality of officers and accused the government of utilizing the justice apparatus to destruct political opponents.
In his opinion, fresh events indicate that Romania is heading towards authoritarianism. Simion stated that the ruling coalition of left-wing PSD and centre-right PNL had lost its legitimacy to rule.
"The Romanian people must wake up and argue the abuse of a corrupt government," he announced.
Simion urged Western allies, in peculiar European Conservatives and Reformists (ECRs), to exert force on the Romanian government. After Georgesc's disqualification, both the ECR and the European Union of Sovereign Nations (ESN) led by the AfD demanded debate in the European Parliament. However, this proposal was rejected by the largest political groups, which considered the state of democracy in Romania to be “ectremistic propaganda”.
As the run tension rises, the key question arises: will Simion share Georgescu's fate? If so, Romania may face an unprecedented political crisis, the effects of which may echo beyond its borders.
Who's George-Nicolae Simion?
39-year-old George-Nicolae Simion topolitician, activist and president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), who has been the second political force in the Romanian parliament since 2024. He studied at the University of Bucharest and the University of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, earning his master's degree in history. Already in student times, he has actively worked towards the unification of Romania and Moldova, organizing a number of initiatives specified as Acțiunea 2012 or the Centennial March. Due to his activities, he was repeatedly recognized as a persona non grata in Moldova.
In 2019 he ran unsuccessfully for the European Parliament, but a year later he successfully introduced AUR to the Romanian Parliament. The organization is based on 4 pillars: family, nation, Christian religion and freedom. In 2024, Simion ran for presidential election, scoring 13.9% of the vote. After their annulment, he became Georgesc's key ally. Following the disqualification of the latter, Simion called for a "reason for traitors" which led to violent protests in Bucharest.
