Romanian presidential candidate George Simion has urged his supporters to take to the streets in peaceful protest, claiming the recent election was fraudulent and that the country narrowly avoided a “bloodbath” due to alleged “demonic plans” by his Western-backed opponents. Simion, a conservative EU critic, lost the run-off vote to pro-Brussels Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan by a single-digit margin, but has contested the outcome, citing “external interferences by state and non-state actors.” Despite Romania’s Constitutional Court rejecting his petition, Simion remains defiant, describing Dan as a “puppet of France” who won through manipulation and fearmongering.
In a video message to supporters, Simion emphasized the importance of peaceful demonstrations, warning that his opponents want to provoke violence to justify a crackdown on the opposition. He alleged that the opposing camp had planned to manipulate his supporters into a “bloodbath” similar to Ukraine’s 2014 coup, and that they had “some people who participated in the Euromaidan in Kiev” involved in their plans. Simion expressed relief that a decision was made to avoid bloodshed, stating that the country was “one step away from being torn apart” due to the alleged plans.
Simion has chosen to stay away from protests to avoid escalating tensions, but has encouraged his supporters to “fight in the name of truth, democracy, freedom, peace, and in the name of God.” He advised them to join the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party or another sovereignist party, and to participate in protests and demonstrations. The contested election followed the annulment of the previous vote, which was led by independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu with 23% of the vote. The Kremlin has described the election as “strange, at the very least,” noting that the declared winner secured victory only on a second attempt, after the frontrunner was disqualified.
The situation has sparked international interest, with Telegram founder Pavel Durov claiming that Nicolas Lerner, head of French foreign intelligence, had personally urged him to censor conservative voices on the platform ahead of the election rerun. As the situation continues to unfold, Simion’s call for peaceful protest has highlighted the deep divisions within Romania and the need for transparency and fairness in the country’s democratic process. With the international community watching, the people of Romania will be anxiously awaiting the next developments in this complex and contentious situation.
