Romania holds presidential election Sunday that could narrow to nationalist and leftist candidates

Bucharest (Romania), Nov 22 (AP) At the campaign headquarters of his far-right nationalist party in Romania's capital, George Simion hailed Donald Trump's re-election days before he runs in his own country's presidential race. He also denied allegations that he is a Russian spy.
     “I would like for Romanians to feel that the leaders are rule-makers, not simply rule-takers,” the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians leader told reporters in Bucharest.      Formed in 2019, the party known by its initials AUR proclaims to stand for “family, nation, faith, and freedom.”
     The 38-year-old candidate, who is banned from entering Moldova and Ukraine over security concerns, strongly denied "all the allegations regarding any kind of connections with the Russian intelligence officers.”
     Sunday's presidential election has 13 candidates and is expected to go to a December 8 runoff, potentially pitting Simion against Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who is backed by Romania's largest party, the Social Democratic Party, or PSD.
     The European Union and NATO member country will also hold parliamentary elections December 1 that will determine Romania's next government and prime minister. The presidential role carries a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy.
     Ciolacu told The Associated Press he has a “clear plan for a more developed Romania that leaves no one behind, an internal plan based on economic growth on investments and a plan for a more respected and influential Romania abroad.”
     “Unfortunately, we have political leaders who challenge our presence in the EU and NATO … I believe that extremists must be politically isolated and not taken into account by any government,” the PSD leader added.
     Besides Ciolacu and Simion, other key candidates are Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, former NATO deputy general secretary Mircea Geoana, who is running independently, and Nicolae Ciuca, a former army general and prime minister of the centre-right National Liberal Party, which is currently in a tense coalition with the PSD.
     Claudiu Tufis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Bucharest, said polling data ahead of the race were unreliable, because “there's a lot of attempts to generate a particular outcome.”
     “All that I can say for sure is that it's probably going to be a fight between Simion and Lasconi," Tufis said. "I think it depends on the mobilisation both within Romania and outside Romania.”
     Some voters feel that none of the candidates in Sunday's race is addressing issues they view as significant.
     “I think we are in a situation where an economic and social crisis is more and more present in our lives,” said Catrinel Toncu, a 24-year-old anthropology student. “I don't see any discussion on upcoming systemic changes. ... Each of them is problematic, in my opinion.”
     Simion has long been a figure of controversy. He campaigned for reunification with Moldova, which this year renewed a five-year ban on him entering the country. In 2020, the AUR party went from relative obscurity to gaining 9 per cent in a parliamentary vote, allowing it to enter parliament.
     Opponents have accused Simion and AUR of being extremist. In 2022, Israel's ambassador to Romania condemned AUR for opposing a mandate for studying the Holocaust in Romania, which it deemed a “minor issue.” The party opposes same-sex marriage and has close ties to the Romanian Orthodox Church. (AP) NPK
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)