The leader of Romania’s right-wing AUR party and presidential candidate George Simion has announced that he will challenge the results of the presidential election, despite previously conceding defeat.
Simion plans to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court, citing the same grounds that led to the annulment of the first round of the presidential election last year.
We are not defeated. We will not give up. The Romanian people have awakened and will not go back to sleep, the politician declared to his supporters.
Simion’s main rival in the election was the incumbent mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, who won the presidency with 53.60% of the vote. Simion had earlier congratulated Dan on his victory, saying he did so to avoid violence.
The fact that we avoided bloodshed on Sunday does not mean we should be treated like fools, he added.
In his statement, Simion accused several foreign entities, including Moldova and France, of interfering in the election process. He mentioned alleged “electoral tourism” and “intervention” by foreign states. He also demanded testimony from the founder of Telegram regarding claims that the French government censored their messages.
Despite his intention to contest the results, Simion acknowledged that the chances of a successful appeal are low. He also announced that AUR will not participate in negotiations to form a new government or in the inauguration of the new president.
