Extreme-right candidate George Simion takes lead among diaspora and national voters in the Romanian presidential election
Straight Up Take:
George Simion, head honcho of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), cleaned up in the first round of the presidential elections, both locally and abroad. Over 53% of Romania's 18 million voters cast their ballots on May 4, and Simion got twice as many votes as Nicusor Dan among expats. Simion's obvious appeal to diaspora voters can be attributed to his alliance with former pro-Russian, nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu. With 586,540 votes (60.99%), Simion crushed the competition in the diaspora, leaving second-placed Dan far behind with 244,756 votes (25.45%).
Locally, Simion dominated in 36 counties, only losing out in Cluj county and five of Bucharest's six districts to Nicusor Dan. In comparison, Crin Antonescu managed to win in just five counties, where Hungarian voters swung the vote in favor of the governing coalition. The race was tightest in the US, where Simion edged out Dan by a single vote, 4,269 to 6,341. Surprisingly, the largest Romanian communities located in Spain and Italy backed Simion with over 73% of the votes cast. In contrast, Nicusor Dan got the most votes in the United States, Canada, and most of Asia, but the difference with Simion's numbers is staggering.
Curiously, Nicusor Dan also took the lead in Brazil, where he received 45.53% of the votes, just edging out Simion (9 votes). It's important to note that Simion ranked first in Syria, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, although voter turnout was low in those countries. The majority of Romanian voters in Asia leaned towards Nicusor Dan. In China, for instance, 65.38% backed Dan, and Simion netted less than 8% of votes.
In short, the diaspora networking of the AUR, particularly in countries with large Romanian expatriate populations like Italy and Spain, played a crucial role in boosting Simion's votes in the presidential election.
- George Simion, the Romanian leader of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), demonstrated a significant influence among the diaspora, particularly in Italy and Spain, where he received over 73% of the votes in the presidential election.
- In contrast, Nicusor Dan, Simion's main competitor, garnered the most votes in countries such as the United States, Canada, and most of Asia, but the difference in votes between them is substantial, with Simion securing twice as many votes as Dan among Romanian expats.
- Despite losing to Nicusor Dan in several countries, such as Brazil and China, Simion managed to secure the top spot in other countries like Syria, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, indicating the AUR's strong influence in political sections beyond Romania, often among moderate voters with nationalist leanings.
