“The increasing popularity of AUR leader George Simion, who declares himself inspired by the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement of American President Donald Trump, is being closely monitored internationally due to fears that his victory could destabilize Romania, a key member of NATO and the EU, writes Politico.Even though Donald Trump’s popularity level is sharply declining, the far-right favorite for the Romanian presidency, Simion, believes that associating himself with the American president remains an advantage ahead of Sunday’s elections, the publication also notes.George Simion, who proudly wears the famous red caps with the MAGA inscription, spoke with Politico immediately after a visit to Washington, where he gave interviews to the host of the podcast and former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon, and far-right activist Jack Posobiec.”We are natural allies of the Republican Party and we are almost perfectly aligned ideologically with the MAGA movement,” Simion said, referring to his party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR).If he wins the presidency, the 38-year-old Simion has promised to give a prominent role to Georgescu, who was prohibited from resuming his own presidential candidacy, the publication notes.”We are now in a campaign to reestablish democracy, the will of the people, the rule of law, and constitutional order,” Simion said in the interview.Politico describes AUR as “a socially conservative party with an irredentist vision of rebuilding a greater Romania, which amplifies the possibility of potential territorial disputes and tensions with Ukraine, Moldova, and Bulgaria.” Although he denies being pro-Russian, Simion wants to stop military aid to Ukraine, Politico also notes.Simion is on track to win the first round of the presidential elections with approximately 29% of the votes, followed by the candidate of the ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu (22%), and the mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan (20%), according to the Politico survey.”
