George Simion, the hard-right opposition leader poised to win Romania’s presidential re-run, has pledged to prevent any potential pullout of American troops from the country, claiming he’s the only candidate capable of doing so. As fears grow about the future of NATO’s eastern flank, Simion’s promise is striking a chord among voters concerned about regional security.
The presidential race is set to repeat on May 4 and 18 after Romania’s Constitutional Court invalidated the December election over alleged Russian interference — claims Moscow has denied. The annulment has added fuel to an already tense political atmosphere, placing Romania at the heart of a broader transatlantic debate about democracy and military commitment.
Simion, head of the nationalist Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), has modeled his political approach on former U.S. President Donald Trump and his MAGA ideology. At a five-hour press conference Friday night, Simion warned that a U.S. military exit from Romania would pose a serious risk to national and regional stability. “Losing American forces here would be a dangerous shift, and I’m the only one who can keep that from happening,” he declared.
He criticized the cancellation of December’s vote, which ousted the far-right pro-Russian frontrunner whom Simion has now replaced. Simion labeled the annulment a "democratic coup" and argued that such actions could provoke the U.S. into reconsidering its military presence. “What were they expecting? That the U.S. would just ignore the suppression of a legitimate election and do nothing?” he asked rhetorically.
Simion’s rise has been meteoric. Once dismissed as a fringe anti-vaccine activist during the COVID-19 pandemic, his AUR party has tapped into working-class frustration, nationalist sentiment, and the disillusionment of younger voters, rapidly becoming the primary opposition force. However, his political rhetoric — including calls to reclaim pre-WWII Romanian borders — has triggered controversy and led to his being banned from Moldova and Ukraine, a move he called “Soviet-style repression” that would be overturned if he wins.
Known for his criticism of the European Union and opposition to military support for Ukraine, Simion has also taken stands against Holocaust education and same-sex marriage. Despite this, he expressed support for increasing defence spending, so long as it strengthens Romania’s domestic arms industry — signaling a preference for military self-reliance over foreign aid dependency.