‘Nobody wants a new Greece,’ Romanian hard-right opposition leader George Simion told POLITICO Brussels, warning that the country’s prolonged political crisis risks deepening its economic troubles. Simion sought to reassure international investors that his Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) would honour Romania’s financial commitments if it came to power, while demanding snap parliamentary elections to end months of political deadlock.
In the interview, published on Wednesday, 7 October, Simion accused President Nicușor Dan of deliberately blocking an early election because he was ‘afraid of us coming to power’. The AUR leader warned that Dan could face suspension proceedings if he continued to refuse elections following another failed attempt to form a government.
Simion said his party was already building parliamentary support for such a move, arguing that no stable government could emerge without returning to the electorate. AUR has led Romanian opinion polls for nearly two years.
‘The prolonged political crisis comes as the country’s economic model is collapsing’
Romania has been without a fully functioning government since May, when the pro-European coalition led by Ilie Bolojan collapsed following a no confidence vote backed by the Social Democrats (PSD) and AUR. Parliament has since rejected successive prime ministerial nominees, leaving the country in its longest political crisis since the fall of communism.
Dan, who defeated Simion in the 2025 presidential election, has resisted calls for snap elections, arguing that a campaign would further delay urgent budget reforms and public-service financing. He has also ruled out involving AUR in government.
The prolonged political crisis comes as the country’s economic model is collapsing. Former prime minister-designate Siegfried Mureșan told POLITICO that investors were postponing major decisions amid the uncertainty, while Romania faces mounting pressure to reduce its budget deficit and protect its investment-grade credit rating.
Foreign direct investment plunged 77.1 per cent year on year in January–July to just €1.13 billion, while external debt climbed to nearly €235 billion. Industrial production contracted by 6.1 per cent in July, and the European Commission expects the Romanian economy to grow by a mere 0.1 per cent in 2026.
On Thursday, 8 October, Dan’s fourth prime minister-designate, diplomat Luca Niculescu, began coalition negotiations. PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu demanded a reversal of the previous government’s austerity policies and a clearly committed parliamentary majority involving the PSD, the National Liberals (PNL) and the Hungarian minority party UDMR.
However, PNL leader Bolojan subsequently ruled out joining another government alongside the PSD, although he indicated that the Liberals could support Niculescu’s cabinet in a confidence vote without entering the administration.
‘Niculescu needs 233 parliamentary votes to take office’
Niculescu needs 233 parliamentary votes to take office. Another failure would intensify pressure for early elections, although Romania’s Constitution does not automatically require the president to dissolve parliament.
The latest INSCOP poll, published on 10 September, puts Simion’s AUR comfortably ahead on 39.7 per cent, followed by the PSD on 18.7 per cent, the PNL on 16.3 per cent and the reformist USR, Dan’s party, on just 9 per cent. AUR has gained 1.5 percentage points since May, while the PNL has lost four points, leaving the hard-right party with nearly as much support as the three former governing parties combined.
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