Romanian Election Results Challenged Amidst Vote-Buying and Foreign Interference Allegations

Romania's AUR Party Leader Alleges Election Fraud, Accuses Moldova and France of Interference On May 20, 2025, George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, held a press conference to challenge the results of the Romanian parliamentary elections held on May 18, 2024. Simion claimed that the elections were marred by widespread vote-buying and foreign interference from both the Republic of Moldova and France. He stated, "100 million euros was the budget allocated in the Republic of Moldova alone for electoral tourism and buying the will of Basarabian Romanians." Simion further alleged that these actions were aimed at manipulating the results in favor of his opponents. He also accused Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, of censoring AUR's messages, hindering their ability to reach voters. To support his claims, Simion mentioned conducting a parallel vote count, although no specific evidence was provided in the video. The allegations are serious and require thorough investigation to determine their validity. The involvement of foreign governments adds a layer of complexity to the situation, and further investigation is needed to fully understand the extent of their alleged involvement. The video concludes with Simion reiterating his call for an annulment of the election results and a full investigation into the matter.