Violence has been a common thread throughout George Simion’s entire political career. From clashes between football supporters to street protests in Chișinău and Bucharest, from involvement in nationalistic clashes at Valea Uzului to the violence in the Romanian Parliament, George Simion’s popularity has been built on aggression amplified by social networks.
The leader of AUR, who made it to the presidential final, is banned from entering the territories of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, being considered a threat to the stability of both countries by the authorities there.
In the public space, in recent days, there has been speculation that George Simion wants to lose the presidential final, being a victim of blackmail, which is why he is not attending debates.
However, such justification is just an attempt to victimize the AUR leader, an action that is part of the strategic change in the electoral campaign after he lost the debate with Nicușor Dan on Euronews.
Simion's defeat was so visible and clear that his campaign team suggested it would be best for him not to participate in any televised confrontation with the mayor of Bucharest.
Thus, it was decided to take action on three fronts in the remaining days:
- Victimization of Simion. Meaning he is a candidate attacked with extremist messages and threats by Nicușor Dan's supporters.
- Attempting to increase voter turnout in the Romanian diaspora of Romanians who have become fans of Călin Georgescu after the annulled elections through TikTok campaigns.
- Activation of Călin Georgescu, who will appear publicly and convey messages of support for George Simion.
Maidan against the will of the people
The AUR leader wants to win the elections and is doing everything possible to achieve his goal.
He initially promised to participate in all televised debates, but after the failed experience on Euronews, he was forced to rethink his strategy.
One of the tools used by George Simion's campaign team was the dissemination in society of the perspective of violent confrontations after Sunday's elections.
"I warn my opponent to stop attempts at fraud or creating a Maidan against the will of the people," wrote George Simion on his Facebook page on May 14.
The post has nearly 50,000 reactions, over 12,000 comments, and over 4,000 shares. Its impact on social networks is huge.
George Simion provides no arguments, clues, or evidence that Nicușor Dan or his supporters are trying to commit election fraud.
Furthermore, to create a context that would allow Simion to announce that the elections were rigged, AUR representatives requested a meeting with STS (Special Telecommunications Service) to discuss the possible election fraud, although they did not present any evidence to support their claims.
"It is our duty to act immediately when there are alarm signals regarding the electoral process. We request a clear and responsible discussion with the STS leadership to guarantee digital security and the correctness of the voting process," stated the far-right party's request.
"The elections on May 18 must be free, fair, and free of any suspicion of fraud. We want to have a transparent, democratic electoral process that respects the law. We will cooperate with all state institutions responsible for organizing the elections to prevent any attempt to subvert the result of the popular vote," the AUR statement further reads.
Also, George Simion in his Facebook post refers to Maidan, suggesting that a secret force, without naming it, wants to create it against the will of the people.
Simply put, Simion says that Nicușor Dan's supporters want to steal the elections, and if they fail, they will organize a major protest, challenging the result.
Without providing evidence, the AUR candidate's statements amount to incitement to violence and undermine trust in the electoral process of choosing the President of Romania.
A hidden truth by Simion
It is very interesting to note that Simion refers to Maidan from Putin's and the Kremlin's perspective.
In reality, the Ukrainian protest movement, which began in November 2013, was called Euromaidan, being a protest against then-President Viktor Yanukovych, supported by Moscow, who refused to sign the European Union accession resolution.
Yanukovych tried to impose the country's accession to Putin's Eurasian Economic Union, angering the population.
The protests lasted three months, with demonstrators being attacked by law enforcement, including with war ammunition.
As a result of the repression, 108 people died, and another 2,000 were injured.
Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the rallies, and on February 21, 2014, Yanukovych's regime collapsed, and he fled to Russia, where he remains in hiding to this day.
Losing political influence over Ukraine following the popular victory of Euromaidan infuriated Putin, who, a few months later, annexed Crimea and launched attacks in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.
From Simion's message, it also appears that he is preparing to protest in the event of losing the elections, already raising the issue of vote theft without providing any evidence for his claims.
Simion's stakes
Another political objective of George Simion these days, and a reason why he did not participate in televised debates, is that he aims not to lose his influence in the party and over the extremist movement in Romania in case of defeat.
The more votes he receives, the stronger his legitimacy in front of his supporters. He faces a formidable competitor, Călin Georgescu, the pro-Russian candidate, and in the event of Simion's defeat on Sunday, a struggle will begin between the two for control over Romanian populists.
Also, Simion is counting on a large number of votes to help unify extremist parties in Parliament, so that they can even negotiate a possible entry into government.
Simion's stakes are high, as it is a false impression that he has laid down his arms. The AUR leader will do everything possible to win Sunday's elections, and after the vote, he will not shy away from anything to project himself as the sole leader of Romanian nationalists.