Romania Faces Political Crisis as Simion Gains Ground

Romania is facing a political crisis that is strengthening nationalist leader George Simion, whose Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) is leading opinion polls with around 35%, Politico reported.

The crisis deepened after the Social Democrats withdrew support for Prime Minister Ilie Boloyan of the liberal National Liberal Party (PNL). The government now faces the risk of a no-confidence vote, with both the opposition and Simion calling for a change of power. Pro-European parties are seeking to block his rise while trying to resolve the political deadlock.

Simion has advocated a tougher stance toward the European Union, opposing support for Ukraine and criticizing the bloc’s migration policy. He has not ruled out early elections, although such a scenario remains unlikely.

The instability also threatens Romania’s access to billions of euros in EU funding and could complicate defense projects within NATO.

“I hope there will be a transfer of power... Democracy is about taking turns at the helm, so they have to act democratically and let us govern... and listen to the voice of the people,” Simion told Politico. He also accused the current coalition of increasing the budget deficit, which he said had been tolerated by the European Commission.

(politico, sab)