Romanian voters are called to the polls to elect a new head of state this Sunday. Pollsters believe the right-wing populist AUR candidate George Simion could make it to a runoff vote on December 8 against the Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Commentators zero in on Simion's chances of winning.
A candidate for the disgruntled
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The Romanian service of Deutsche Welle takes a closer look at AUR party leader George Simion:
“His doublespeak, trolls and bots, his excessive promises (houses for 35,000 euros for everyone), his anti-European nationalism, his brutal language, which even dissuaded Volodymyr Zelensky from holding a speech in the Romanian parliament; and his ability to detect the weaknesses of a state (think of his visit to Romanian flood victims in Spain) have helped him to appeal not only to the sovereigntists, but also to many who are disappointed with the traditional parties.”
Looming loss of reputation
Romania’s Spotmedia describes the potential consequences of a high share of the vote going to the right-wing nationalist candidate George Simion:
“If the AUR party leader makes it to the run-off election for the presidency, this would pose a problem for Romania, especially in light of the war in Ukraine. The NATO partners would see it as a sign of vulnerability. The rise of an extremist politician who has been pushing the Kremlin's agenda in Romania for the past three years would harm our country's reputation among its allies. A loss of reputation that would have a number of economic consequences, such as the blocking of important military and strategic investments.”
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