Sarah Rainesford
Eastern Europe correspondent
Report from Teleoman County on Romaniaepa-Efe/ShutterStock
A woman passes a sign displaying posters of Bucharest presidential candidates Nixon Dan (left) and George Simion (right).
After allegations of Russian interference, when Romanian presidential elections were invalidated late last year, far-right conspiracy theorists were blocked from top jobs.
Many Romanians were deeply relieved. Many others were angry. Their votes were stolen.
However, six months later, the country has returned to the ballot box, and another strong euro acceptance is running for president.
George Simion won the first round of the new election on May 4th with a big margin. Now, the former casual nationalist politician is facing Bucharest’s liberal mayor, Nixon Dunn.
This is a vote that allows Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union (EU), to make a rapid turn from the mainstream of Europe.
Both candidates voted on Sunday morning, with Simion saying that it voted for the future, “It should only be decided for Romanians, Romanians and Romania.”
“Not a collaboration with our European partners,” Dan told reporters. [the] Romania quarantine.”
The polls aren’t too close.
Teleoman County is one of the poorest regions in Romania and has been a territory of social democracy for many years. But earlier this month, here, 57% of voters chose President Simion in the first round of votes.
Petre Filip shows his original packaging machine.
A few hours drive southwest of Bucharest, entry into the area is announced in blue lettering on rusty metal arches on the main road.
The streets are lined with wild poppies rather than campaign posters for candidates. There are no obvious signs of elections.
But in social media feeds, people’s phones have a lot of political content.
The latest clip features a world of folk fantasy with embroidered tops, prayers and bears, featuring the slogan “I choose Romania.”
“It was an anti-system, an anti-mainstream vote” is how Felicia Alexandru of Aperio Intelligence explains the surge in national support for first-round far-right candidates.
After more than 30 years of the same political party dominated politics, frustration and degradation of performance have been built over corruption.
“People are very unhappy with what happened at high levels of politics, and this is a vote for it,” Felicia says.
Protest votes are not limited to those who are the poorest or most dissatisfied.
The Comalat Dairy Firm is unrecognizable from the business Petre Filip, which was launched 25 years ago.
At the time, he would depart at 5:00 a.m. every day in Dasia, driving on a farm where he would buy milk. Every night he then handed out his clients cheese and yogurt produced by three workers.
His old packaging machine is now standing in the lobby as an early reminder. However, Petre has been granted 1.5 million euros (£1.3 million, $1.7 million) in EU funds to modernize and expand his business. That’s money he never needs to pay back.
“It was really, really good for us,” the businessman gets excited, showing off his production line of sparkling metal machines in several rooms.
He employs more than 50 staff.
Mihera claims that George Simion is “by the Romanians’ side.”
“I like George Simion,” staff member Mihera announces with a smile, squeezing liquid from a large chunk of carbonated cheese.
Referring to the fears of Brussels, she shruggs when she mentions the fear that he would make EU Romanian relationships very intense.
“He is on the side of the Romanians. He is for the people, to create employment and a better life,” replies Mihera.
Simion talks a lot about “making Romania great again” and reflects the American Magazine politicians he admires. He also has the same isolationist approach: in all, Romania.
When pushed, he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But like Donald Trump, he has pledged to end military aid to Kiev, making him unclear the future of Ukraine’s important grain exports through Romania.
Simion is banned from Ukraine and Moldova and calls for the territory there to be part of Romania.
In this week’s latest explosion, he called election opponents “autistic, poor man.”
He also accused French President Emmanuel Macron of having a “dictatorial tendency.”
Phillip said Simion was “too impulsive” to become president, and “was driven by hormones, not his brain.”
However, he is very disillusioned with the entire scene and he tends to not vote at all.
Following the path of Logioli de Vedée, they are also discussing elections – and Fretting.
Roxana says she likes the way Nixondan managed Bucharest as mayor
Roxana operates a factory that makes work uniforms in the factory, including the military of another EU country.
Her clients wonder if Romania is about to vote for “Pro-Russian” president.
“They want to know if their orders are safe!” she laughs.
Roxana himself plans to mention the man people here by his first name, Nicusor.
She is also deeply disturbed by what she calls Simion’s “hooligan” behavior.
“It’s a very bad image for Romania in Europe. I’m embarrassed,” Roxana recalls the candidate’s humiliation about Macron this week.
In another recent incident, Simion sexually assaulted a female MP and threatened to call her a pig.
“Compare that with someone who won the International Mathematics Olympiad,” Roxana says, referring to the competition Dan won in the 1980s. He continued to earn his PhD from the Sorbonne.
Prior to the second vote, Roxana and her friend Andrea have been involved in grassroots initiatives to convince voters to support Dan.
“I tried to say why Simion’s plan was ineffective, but I don’t think it was very successful,” admits Andrea, who says she is “very worried.”
“I see what people are saying online and they really believe in Simion and I think he’s trying to shake everything up and take down the system.
“They think it’s all bad, but it’s not.”
Dan, her own candidates, is Pro-eu and pro-nato, and his campaign slogan is “integrity.”
“I promise no miracle,” his modest election pledge. “But I promise to fight.”
If that fight fails and Simion wins, he is not the only fierce candidate at the forefront of Romanian politics.
Much of his support comes from people who originally voted for Karin Georgek. Karin Georgek is the Fringe figure who won his first election in November before being cancelled on national security reasons.
The two men have often appeared side by side ever since – including when they voted today – and Simion has promised to make Prime Minister Georgek if he was elected.
It is unclear how it will work, given that he was accused of benefiting from “large” and “aggressive” interference by Moscow.
“If Simion wins, there will be some political turmoil from Monday,” Roxana predicts that it will include the economy.
“The question is whether he will remain in Georgek’s shadow or will he change his perspective completely,” agrees Felicia.
“Is this a campaign strategy or is he something he believes?”
