Who Is George Simion: Romania’s Potential New President

Update: Interested in live coverage of the elections, with constant updates and insights? Check out my dedicated article here: 2025 Romanian Presidential Elections.

George Simion’s first attempt at the Romanian presidency in 2024 didn’t end well: he placed 4th, with a still-decent 13.86% of the votes, but much worse than anticipated.

But things have changed a lot since November 2024 and May 2025, when the First Round of Romania’s Presidential Elections took place. We’ll learn what changed, who George Simion really is and how big are his chances of becoming Romania’s next president.

In a landscape dominated by centrists and pro-European moderates, Simion comes with a fresh, albeit volatile, approach. He has rebranded himself as the new face of Romania’s sovereigntist surge, he has the support of Calin Georgescu (the now-annulled election’s main winner or loser, depending on who you ask), and seems to be on track to win it all.

But let’s see who George Simion is – and what you should know about him both personally, but especially professionally.

Early Life and Education

Born on September 21, 1986, in Focșani and raised in Bucharest, George Simion attended “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College, one of the capital’s elite high schools, and later graduated from the University of Bucharest with a degree in Administration and Business.

He followed that with a master’s at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași, where he focused his thesis on “The Crimes of Communism.” It was an academic beginning to what would soon become a turbulent political life.

From Marketing Director to Movement Builder

Simion spent nearly a decade as Marketing Director for an architecture firm, but his ambitions were much higher. He soon pivoted to activism and movement-building, combining grassroots energy with nationalistic rhetoric.

He cofounded the “Honor et Patria” and “United under the tricolor” ultras movements, as well as the Romanian Ultras publication.

Often crossing into xenophobic territory, but also confrontation with stadium security and gendarmes, his ultras squads were often the cause behind Romania’s football team playing their games without public, or a more recent xenophobic declarations against the naturalization of Portuguese defender Mario Camora.

In 2019, he launched the political party AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians), which, under his lead, managed to grow tremendously based on its anti-system sentiment, Romanian diaspora nostalgia, and nationalism.

They also banked on the post-pandemic frustrations, slowly but steadily rising until becoming an important player in Romania’s politics today.

AUR’s Meteoric Rise

By December 2020, Simion’s AUR had stunned Romania by breaking into Parliament (read my coverage here), winning over voters with their anti-vaxxing rhetoric, as well as a mix of nationalism, traditionalism, and anti-elite sloganeering.

While the political party was initially co-led with Claudiu Târziu, Simion consolidated control in March 2022 when he was elected sole president, with Târziu leaving the party in 2025, before the first round of the elections.

In Romania, George Simion became Vice President of the Committee for Economic Policy, Reform and Privatization and joined committees focused on Moldova and European integration.

His visibility only grew, but so did his volatility.

Controversy as Currency

Few Romanian politicians polarize like Simion. His critics call him a destabilizing force; his supporters see him as the only voice unafraid to challenge entrenched power.

In 2019, he was front and center during the Valea Uzului Cemetery standoff, where tensions between Romanian and Hungarian communities turned volatile. That same year, he and members of the far-right Noua Dreaptă stormed the cemetery gate on Heroes’ Day.

Internationally, his antics didn’t go unnoticed. Moldova banned him in 2015 and again in 2024. Ukraine imposed a three-year entry ban in 2021 after intelligence suspicions dating back to a 2009 meeting allegedly involving a Russian FSB official.

He denies having any ties with the Russians, but his name keeps popping up in allegations of pro-Russian sympathies, also based on his friendships and/or partnerships with the likes of Călin Georgescu or Cozmin Guşă, two individuals allegedly related to the Russians.

Simion’s First Presidential Run

Simion’s first presidential run in 2024 had all the hallmarks of his style: dramatic pressers, relentless touring, bread and circus. He positioned himself as the sovereignist alternative to both the pro-EU establishment and the openly pro-Russian candidates.

He was actually expected to qualify in the second round, together with PSD’s Marcel Ciolacu, but they both failed to do it, replaced by surprise candidate (who later became Simion’s ally) Călin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi.

But during that time, Simion played his cards smartly, criticizing the system for annulling the elections, siding with Georgescu, and switching both his rhetoric and approach to be more similar to what Georgescu used to win the elections.

The Makeover: 2025 Campaign Playbook

Looking a bit different than the original campaign and clearly influenced (at least in my opinion) by the Georgescu experience, George Simion had a nearly-flawless, risk-adverse run.

He refused to take part in any direct, live confrontation with the other candidates and rarely made public appearances. His way of speaking changed to match the tope of Georgescu, he increased his online presence (which was already high) and he had basically zero mistakes in his campaign.

To top things up, he really focused on his electorate. Pensioners get flowers with their leaflets. University campuses see Simion in jeans, listening instead of shouting.

Even abroad, AUR has rolled out the “Call Your Mom” campaign, urging Romanian expats to phone relatives back home and influence their vote.

Even his speech after winning the first round of the elections was pre-recorded. Simion didn’t make a public appearance (which many considered a lack of respect for his supporters), but instead presented a video recording. And this works.

The “Simion Plan”: Populism Repackaged

Simion’s economic pitch centers on two populist promises:

Homes for €35,000

Among the many things that he promised during his campaign, this one stands out: he promised to build a million affordable homes for young families and lower-income Romanians.

They actually had to sign up for coupons for the €35,000 homes to be built (a process in which many claim that the supporters only gave away their personal information) and the lines were huge. This worked, and everybody is curious to see how will he implement this.

Zero-Interest Credit Refinancing

Another promise involves a state-backed refinancing of home loans between €35,000 and €70,000 at zero interest.

While this would obviously be inflationary and difficult to handle by the already weakened fiscal reality in Romania, his supporters are obviously happy about this promise.

There are various other things he promised to do, all following nationalist and populist themes. He also said he would name Calin Georgescu as Prime Minister (while on some occasions he mentioned re-running the second round between Georgescu and Lasconi).

Even at the voting booth, he said that he voted with Georgescu, although he wasn’t allowed to participate. But for his electorate, this sounded really well and is just one of the things that helped him score this undeniable, massive victory.

Image Control vs. Ideological Anchors

Simion’s 2025 pivot is probably meant to bring in some supporters from the other side, too.

He now claims to support NATO bases and Ukraine’s sovereignty, though his past statements suggest otherwise. He’s also cozied up to international right-wing circles, attending CPAC in Washington this February (but releasing no proof of any high-level meetings).

Still, the old Simion pokes through. He continues to attack Romania’s intelligence services, accusing them of running covert anti-AUR operations. His rhetoric against the Central Electoral Bureau, at one point calling for public flaying, earned him a criminal investigation for incitement.

The Verdict Ahead

George Simion’s second run for Cotroceni is a test for both him as a person, his party, but also Romania as a whole. His message fits well with a country that has had enough of the “old school” politicians, with people who have to leave Romania to find better-paying jobs, leaving their families behind in many cases and voters happy to hear – and believe – populist messages.

For his supporters, George Simion is exactly what Romania needs. He’s the change our country needs, he’s the savior.

And he seems to be in a great position at the moment, with the recent results showing that he will be Romania’s next president. But many “certain” things happened in recent elections for anybody to get too comfortable, or too worried. We’ll see soon which side is right.