In a dramatic escalation ahead of Romania’s presidential runoff election, frontrunner George Simion has accused neighboring Moldova’s pro-European Union (EU) government of orchestrating an attempt to rig the vote. Simion, a vocal Euroskeptic and the leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), alleged that Moldovan authorities are actively sabotaging his chances of securing the presidency, raising concerns about external influence and electoral legitimacy.

Simion’s allegations come just days before the runoff vote scheduled for May 19, following the first round of the rerun election held on May 4. In that initial round, Simion secured a commanding lead with over 40% of the vote, far outpacing his rivals, including pro-EU Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who will face him in the second round.

Tensions heightened after reports emerged of unusually high voter turnout among Romanian citizens living in Moldova. Approximately 30% of Moldova’s population-around one million people-hold dual Moldovan-Romanian citizenship, making them eligible to vote in Romanian elections. According to AUR officials, by early afternoon on May 16, over 50,000 votes had already been cast by Romanian citizens in Moldova-an increase of nearly 70% compared to the same period in the first round.

“These numbers are no coincidence,” the AUR wrote on its website. “There is a coordinated effort to steer the diaspora vote toward the establishment candidate, Nicusor Dan, with the direct support of Moldova’s ruling authorities.”

Simion himself took to Facebook to denounce what he described as a “massive fraud” campaign. “Enough campaigning – now we have to stop the massive fraud! The government in Moldova has started........

© Blitz