Wednesday, April 9, George Simion, leader of AUR, posted on social media a selfie on a hospital bed, alongside his wife and son. He announced that he does not have a serious condition but it is just a minor rhythm adjustment.
According to political sources, Simion had been feeling unwell in recent days due to „exhaustion” caused by the „intensity of the electoral campaign.”
The leader of AUR is seen as a favorite to reach the presidential final on May 18, relying on votes from nationalist voters, receiving a significant boost after the rejection of Călin Georgescu’s candidacy by the BEC.
The latter, although he has not clearly named a political successor, nor commented on the arrangement of the two extremist leaders - Simion and Anamaria Gavrilă (POT).
The two have agreed that only one of them, the highest ranked in the polls, will enter the presidential race with the political support of the "sovereigntist movement," which controls over 30% of parliament.
Over time, leaders of extremist parties have strongly promoted Russia's interests in Romania, with the political system still threatened by the possibility of a pro-Russian candidate becoming the head of state with all the ensuing consequences.
Sovereigntists support Russia's interests
The extremist-sovereigntist movement has aligned itself with Moscow since the pandemic, and over time its leaders have tried, and to a large extent succeeded, in creating an anti-Ukraine, anti-European Union, and NATO trend in domestic politics.
A month ago, the extremist parties AUR, POT, and SOS voted in Parliament against the law that would have allowed the armed forces to shoot down Russian drones entering national territory. Even after it was adopted by the majority of senators and deputies, they did not stop. They also challenged it at the CCR.
In the end, the law passed through the Constitutional Court's filter, but the way Simion, Șoșoacă, and Gavrilă seek to impose Russia's interests in Romania remains a problem for the parliamentary majority.
However, a major threat to Romania's internal stability and international credibility remains the possibility of George Simion, a political leader who is banned from entering the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on the grounds that he is an influence agent of the Kremlin with connections in Russian espionage circles, becoming president.
An important victory
Anatol Șalaru, former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, announced two years ago that George Simion "had ties with FSB representatives," a fact confirmed by an investigation by the authorities in Chișinău and validated by Vlad Filat, former prime minister of the neighboring country.
The leader of AUR sued Anatol Șalaru for his statements, and on Thursday, Moldovan judges, after a two-year process, ruled in favor of the defendant, confirming in court the evidence of the connections between Simion and Kremlin agents.
AUDIO. Anatol Șalaru describes how he defended himself against George Simion's accusations - Source: Spotmedia.ro
"For me, the court victory is very important. It vindicates me, and the fact that the judges requested data from the authorities that confirmed what I conveyed to the public opinion shows how serious Simion's situation is," declared Anatol Șalaru, exclusively for spotmedia.ro.
"... I stated that the SIS, the intelligence service of Moldova, had reported to the authorities in Chișinău that George Simion had meetings in Chernivtsi with Moscow agents. My statements were confirmed by the SBU deputy (Ukrainian intelligence service) at that time, by Zelenski's advisor, Mihailo Podoliak, and by Vlad Filat, the former Prime Minister of Moldova, who had direct access to the file compiled by the authorities. George Simion denied it and sued me. Today, I won!" Anatol Șalaru added, after the announcement by the judges in Chișinău.
Romania in a difficult situation
The presidential elections in November 2024 were canceled due to foreign interference and the fact that a candidate openly supported by Russia violated electoral legislation, namely Călin Georgescu.
Furthermore, a new candidacy by the latter was rejected, as he was indicted and under judicial control for attempting to change Romania's constitutional order.
The validation by a court of the accusations against George Simion made both by the authorities in Chișinău and Kiev puts Bucharest in a difficult situation.
Now, there is a strong indication that another candidate in the Romanian presidential elections has ties to Russian espionage that he does not want to disclose and explain.
"If George Simion becomes the President of Romania, he will do everything in his power to bring the Republic of Moldova into Russia's sphere of influence," declared Anatol Șalaru, former Minister of Defense in the Republic of Moldova, for Spotmedia.
"... he has repeatedly called for the cessation of funding for Moldova, for the loans granted to Chișinău, and urged people to vote against Maia Sandu. In essence, he called for the vote of a pro-Russian candidate," added the former official.
Moldova, under Russia's heel
Simion's arrival at the Cotroceni Palace "would mean that the Republic of Moldova would be entirely controlled by Russia. Because any halt in assistance from the European Union and Romania, any cessation of political support for Chișinău, actually gives a chance to the pro-Russian forces in Moldova," Anatol Șalaru further stated for spotmedia.ro.
Moreover, the former representative of the Moldovan government believes that the political forces in our country played with fire when they promoted Simion to enter the presidential final to offer Marcel Ciolacu, the PSD candidate in the November 2024 presidential elections, an easy path to becoming the President of Romania.
"... remember the response Ciolacu received from the Ukrainian government, and when asked why such a response was given, I was told that this was requested. So the authorities in Romania did not ask the Ukrainian government if George Simion had collaborated with Russian intelligence services or met with their agents. They only asked why George Simion is persona non grata in Ukraine. Whatever they asked for, that's what they got as a response," Anatol Șalaru further stated.
Indeed, in mid-November, ten days before the first round of the presidential elections, Marcel Ciolacu boasted about a statement from Ukraine following a request from the government.
"... we want to inform you that the Security Service of Ukraine has decided to apply a restrictive administrative measure in the form of a travel ban to Ukraine against the Member of the Romanian Parliament George Simion. The decision was made based on the available information regarding the systematic anti-Ukrainian activities of this politician, which contravene Ukraine's national interests and violate its state sovereignty and territorial integrity," the response of the Ukrainian government states.
If Simion becomes president
Nevertheless, it will be interesting for Romania to have a president accused of violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another state.
AUDIO. Anatol Șalaru discusses that George Simion's electorate is not affected by his connections to Russia - Source: spotmedia.ro
Automatically, from the day after a potential victory by Simion in the elections, our country will find itself in a position of hostility towards Ukraine and closer to Russia, with all the political, military, and economic consequences that follow.
"George Simion, President of Romania, would also mean the halt, the blocking of all avenues of aid provided by allies. It is clear that Romania will not only cease to support Kyiv in any way, but will also stop access for other states to Ukraine," Anatol Șalaru further stated for spotmedia.ro.