George Simion’s ultimatum: Călin Georgescu as Prime Minister or early elections in Romania

George Simion, the far-right leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and frontrunner in Romania’s presidential election rerun, has issued a bold ultimatum: if elected president in the 18 May runoff, he will push for Călin Georgescu, a barred far-right candidate, to become prime minister—or trigger early parliamentary elections to secure a nationalist majority.

Simion’s provocative stance, announced on Digi24 on Tuesday evening, comes amid heightened political turmoil following the Constitutional Court’s annulment of the 2024 presidential election and a fresh request to cancel the first round of the current election.

Simion’s pledge to appoint Georgescu

Simion, who secured 40.96% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election rerun on 4 May, far ahead of centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan (20.9%), has vowed to honor what he calls “the will of the Romanian people” by elevating Georgescu to a leadership role.

Georgescu, an ultranationalist and pro-Russian figure, won the first round of the November 2024 presidential election with 22.94% but was disqualified after the Constitutional Court annulled the entire process on 6 December 2024, citing alleged Russian interference. Georgescu was later barred from the 2025 rerun due to criminal charges, including false campaign financing statements and promoting fascist organizations, which he denies.

“I will probably insist on going with Călin Georgescu to some early elections, but I expect that we will find 50% plus one in Parliament,” Simion stated on Digi24. “It is the commitment I made to the Romanians; it is normal for me to do it, if [Georgescu] wishes it.”

When pressed on whether he had discussed the plan with Georgescu, Simion was evasive, saying, “We are not going that far with our plans… I believe that the person voted to lead the Romanian nation must end up leading it. There are several possibilities; this is one of them.” He suggested Georgescu could become prime minister, or a snap election could be called to reshape Parliament, though he admitted a referendum was another vague option without elaborating.

Simion’s insistence on Georgescu, despite the latter’s controversial views – including praise for Romania’s fascist leaders and opposition to NATO bases – has raised alarms among pro-EU and NATO allies. A Simion victory, potentially followed by a Georgescu-led government, could shift Romania’s foreign policy away from its Western orientation, isolate the country within the EU, and destabilize NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Fresh call to annul the election

On 6 May, the Constitutional Court registered a new request to annul the first round of the presidential election held on 4 May, filed by independent candidate Victor Ponta, a former prime minister and PSD leader who placed fourth with 13.05%. According to Romania’s electoral law, annulment requests can be submitted within three days of voting (by 24:00 on May 6) by political parties, unions, minority organisations, or candidates, accompanied by evidence of electoral fraud. Ponta’s fully motivated request alleges irregularities in the electoral process, though specific details have not been publicly disclosed. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule within days, but given its prior rejection of Georgescu’s appeals, analysts consider a second annulment unlikely unless compelling evidence emerges.

Romania’s democratic crisis

Romania’s political landscape has been in disarray since the Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision to annul the 2024 presidential election, prompted by declassified intelligence reports alleging Russian meddling in favor of Georgescu. The reports claimed Georgescu’s campaign, which surged on TikTok with over 52 million views in days, was artificially boosted by a “state actor” through fake accounts and algorithm manipulation, mirroring Kremlin tactics seen in Ukraine and Moldova. Moscow has denied these allegations.

The annulment sparked widespread protests, with Georgescu and Simion decrying it as a “coup d’état” by the establishment to suppress nationalist voices. Georgescu’s disqualification in March 2025, upheld by the Constitutional Court, further fueled accusations of judicial overreach, drawing criticism from figures like U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, who called the decision a blow to democracy.

Simion, who placed fourth in the annulled 2024 election with 14%, capitalized on this discontent, inheriting Georgescu’s voter base and doubling AUR’s support to 40.96% in the May 4 rerun. His campaign, aligned with Donald Trump’s MAGA movement and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, opposes military aid to Ukraine, criticizes EU leadership, and promotes a “Romania first” agenda. AUR, founded in 2019, has grown from an anti-vaccine fringe group to Romania’s second-largest parliamentary party, holding 18.3% of seats after the December 2024 parliamentary election.

Early elections and parliamentary dynamics

Simion’s threat to trigger early elections hinges on Romania’s constitutional process. The president nominates the prime minister, but Parliament must approve the candidate with a majority (50% plus one). If Parliament rejects two consecutive prime ministerial nominees within 60 days, the president can dissolve Parliament and call snap elections. Simion suggested that if Georgescu fails to secure a parliamentary majority, he would nominate him again, potentially forcing early elections. “If we go to early elections with Călin Georgescu, I believe we would obtain more than 50% of the seats,” Simion claimed, though he expressed a preference to avoid this scenario due to the instability it would cause.

This strategy is risky. The current Parliament, elected in December 2024, is fragmented, with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) holding 22.3%, AUR 18.3%, and other nationalist parties like SOS Romania (7.8%) and the Party of Young People (POT, 6.4%) collectively commanding 32.7% of seats. The pro-Western coalition of PSD, National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (RMDSZ) holds a slim majority but has struggled to govern, especially after Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s resignation on May 5, 2025, following the coalition’s candidate Crin Antonescu’s third-place finish (20.3%).

Forming a new government without AUR and its nationalist allies will be challenging, particularly if Simion wins the presidency. A Georgescu-led government could face rejection by pro-EU parties, setting the stage for Simion’s early election gambit. However, snap elections are rare in Romania, as lawmakers typically negotiate to avoid dissolution, and Simion’s ability to secure a nationalist majority is uncertain.

Sources: Digi24 interview with George Simion, Constitutional Court of Romania announcements, Romania Insider, Romanian Central Electoral Bureau (BEC)

Caption: Ultra-nationalist party AUR leader George Simion speaks at a press conference with foreign media journalists held outside the Parliament Palace, on repeated presidential elections, first round, in Bucharest, Romania, 4 May 2025. [EPA/EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT]

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Updated: May 7, 2025 - 05:37