Romania should follow Hungary’s example in state policies, far-right presidential candidate says

The far-right presidential candidate George Simion, who won the first round of the presidential elections with over 40% of the votes, said during a debate on Thursday, May 8, that Romania should copy many state policies enacted by Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.

Simion stated during the Euronews debate that all ethnic Hungarians "must understand that they are good citizens of Romania" and emphasized that he appreciates "many of the positions" expressed by Viktor Orbán, adding that "they will become state policy in Romania as well."

Historically, Romania and Hungary have had a fraught relationship defined by ethnic tensions. Since Romania’s accession to the European Union, however, the two countries have grown closer. Last year, Hungary brokered discussions between Austria, Romania, and Bulgaria regarding Schengen, the result of several efforts meant to get Romania into the border-free zone. The two countries are also major trade partners.

Nevertheless, the rise of the Eurosceptic far-right party AUR in Romania has caused concern among the Hungarian ethnic minority in Romania. About a million of them live in Romania's western Transylvania region, represented politically by the Hungarian minority party UDMR, which has been critical of Simion and backed his opponent, centrist Nicusor Dan.

"There are people who do not want the well-being of the Hungarian communities in Romania and want to follow the same path as Emmanuel Macron and all the globalists from Brussels, instead of following the conservative, healthy direction embraced by the majority of the Hungarian people," Simion argued during the debate, cited by Digi24.

"I respect the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and precisely for this reason, many of his positions—not all, but many—will become state policy in Romania. I want to say to those who think they can continue to feed off this old obsession, the conflict between Romanians and Hungarians, that their time has passed. Now is the time for a Europe of nations, a Christian Europe, in which we will fight for our right to be European citizens. And both Romanians and Hungarians are full citizens of the European Union," George Simion further stated.

During the debate, Simion also expressed anti-vaccine beliefs, said that the European Union “does not exist as an entity,” and doubled down on firing 500,000 state employees. He also rejected any blame for the drop in the national currency.

Viktor Orbán has been described as one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s few friends in Europe. The government in Budapest has cracked down on NGOs, stifled free press, and blocked EU aid to Ukraine twice. Like Simion, Orban often directs his attacks at “Brussels,” accusing the EU of trying to lead countries into war with Russia. Under Orban, Hungary cultivated