George Simion, the nationalist frontrunner in Romania’s presidential race, isn’t mincing words. Just days before the high-stakes runoff, he’s sounding the alarm—accusing Moldova’s pro-EU leadership of meddling in the democratic process and tipping the scales in favor of his rival.
Simion, who heads the right-leaning Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), dominated the first round on May 4 with over 40% of the vote. But now, as the runoff looms, he’s claiming foul play just across the border.
Posting on Facebook, Simion fired off a warning: “Campaigning’s over—it’s time to stop the fraud! Moldova’s government is stealing votes, and we’re not going to let that slide.”
What’s fueling the outrage? According to Simion’s camp, voter turnout among Romanian citizens living in Moldova has surged in suspicious fashion—nearly tripling compared to the initial round. Roughly 30% of Moldova’s population holds Romanian citizenship, making the diaspora vote a powerful factor.
Simion’s party isn’t holding back. The AUR has accused Moldova’s ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) of orchestrating a covert operation to funnel votes toward Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, Simion’s EU-friendly opponent. “By early afternoon, over 50,000 diaspora ballots were already cast—a nearly 70% jump from last time,” the party reported on its site. “That’s no coincidence.”
And it doesn’t stop there. Moldova’s Pro TV Chisinau was also called out by AUR for running what they claim was a “biased and unlawful campaign” dressed up as journalism, pushing Dan’s candidacy under the radar.
Chisinau, for its part, has flatly denied any wrongdoing. Government spokesman Daniel Voda urged political leaders to tone down the rhetoric and respect the integrity of the process. “We encourage all Romanian citizens in Moldova to vote freely and without intimidation,” he said.
This electoral dust-up follows a controversial decision by Romania’s Constitutional Court to scrap the November vote, where independent candidate Calin Georgescu emerged as a surprise frontrunner. Authorities chalked up the annulment to alleged campaign irregularities and intelligence reports pointing to Russian interference—accusations Moscow has dismissed.
Simion, who hasn’t minced words in calling the 2024 election nullification a “coup d’état,” has also been banned from entering Moldova altogether. He’s previously slammed the country as “artificial” and declared it will “never join the EU.”
With tempers flaring and foreign influence accusations flying, Romania’s presidential race has morphed into something far bigger than a national contest—it’s now a proxy battle between competing visions for the region’s future.
