Romanian presidential frontrunner criticizes ‘authoritarian’ Macron

(MENAFN) George Simion, the Romanian presidential frontrunner and Euroskeptic, has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of attempting to undermine democracy in Romania ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff. Simion, who has been a vocal critic of the European Union, won the first round of Romania’s rerun presidential election on May 4 with over 40% of the vote. The rerun followed the annulment of the previous November election results by Romania’s Constitutional Court due to alleged irregularities and claims of Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.

Simion, leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians, expressed his support for independent candidate Calin Georgescu and stated he would consider appointing him prime minister if elected. In a recent interview, Simion accused France of applying pressure to Romania’s judiciary, media, and businesses, alleging that foreign entities were using financial leverage to influence Romania’s democratic processes.

He also compared the French government’s actions to the recent decision by a French court to bar Marine Le Pen from the 2027 presidential election, calling Macron’s influence “authoritarian” and claiming that it was an attempt to impose dictatorship-like control in Romania. Simion condemned the annulment of Romania’s 2024 election results as a “coup d’état” and vowed to resist foreign interference, emphasizing Romania’s sovereignty. The French ambassador to Bucharest, Nicolas Warnery, had previously suggested that Romania faced a “hybrid attack” in 2024, justifying the decision to restart the presidential election process.

MENAFN17052025000045015687ID1109561789