Romania Could ‘Rerun Ballot’ Over Russia Interference Fears

Romanian right-wing politician George Simion has said, if he became president, he would organize a referendum over whether to repeat last year’s election, which was annulled following claims of Russian interference.

Simion, a Eurosceptic candidate who opposes military support for Ukraine, floated the idea after a resounding victory in the first round of the presidential election last week.

Simion said that a national ballot could see if Romanians want to “punish” those who canceled last December’s election before the runoff between Călin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi.

Georgescu was considered a pro-Russian candidate, but last year’s vote was annulled over allegations of campaign fraud and interference from Moscow.

Jeremy Holt, from intelligence and security consultancy S-RM, told Newsweek, unlike Georgescu, Simion is not overtly pro-Russian, but Moscow would view his victory favorably. Newsweek has contacted the Romanian Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

In December 2024, Romania’s constitutional court scrapped the election ahead of a runoff after Georgescu came out of almost nowhere to lead the first round. Moscow was accused of interfering in the ballot via social-media accounts to amplify his candidacy, although Russia denied involvement.

But Georgescu condemned the ruling as a coup, and the move caused turbulence in the critical NATO member, which shares a long border with Ukraine.

Although it is not clear how likely a rerun would be, but Simion’s comments reopen the controversy over the canceled election, which could have put a pro-Moscow candidate into office at the heart of the EU.

What To Know

Simion won a clear victory in the first round of the presidential election in Romania on May 4, getting 41 percent of the vote.

He will go into the runoff on 18 May as the favorite against the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, who got just under 21 percent.

Simion told Romanian TV that, if he were to win the second round, he wanted to put December’s ballot before the people in a referendum to ask them if they wanted those “who took part in the coup d’état to be punished.”

If the referendum supported a repeat of the annulled vote, Simion would resign to allow the process to take place; “that is what a good president should do,” he said in comments reported by English language site Romania Insider.

Simion has made repeated claim on the campaign trail that the cancellation of the election was a “coup.” He has also suggested that, as president, he would push for Georgescu to be appointed prime minister and that, if parliament rejected this, he would try to dissolve the legislature and call early elections.

Holt said that Simion has adopted a more-conciliatory line regarding Romania’s relationship with the EU and NATO than Georgescu, having called for a continued presence of alliance forces at Romanian bases.

But Simion’s calls for greater sovereignty for EU member states and pledges to break EU laws that he does not agree with would mean his victory could strengthen Eurosceptic voices within the EU such as Hungary and Slovakia.

Simion wants to end Romanian military and financial assistance to Ukraine, and while he is not overtly pro-Russian and has called for increased NATO forces on the alliance’s eastern flank, Russia would view his victory favorably, Holt said.

What People Are Saying

Romanian presidential candidate George Simion said: “We will have to ask the Romanians if they want those who took part in the coup to be punished.”

Jeremy Holt, head of Central and Eastern Europe at S-RM, told Newsweek: “Unlike Georgescu, Simion does not appear to be overtly pro-Russian … despite this stance, Russia is likely to view a Simion victory favorably, given the potential destabilizing effect this may have on Romania’s relationship with the EU.”

What Happens Next

The second round of the election takes place on May 18 and, under Romanian law, the president has the power to call a referendum.

But there is uncertainty in Romania’s government after the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the exit of his party from the ruling coalition after the candidate it endorsed, Crin Antonescu, failed to reach the runoff.

Holt said it remains to be seen how a new coalition government will be formed, and to what extent it could cooperate with Simion should he win.