BUCHAREST: After scoring well with Romania's influential overseas voters in the presidential election's first round, nationalist candidate George Simion is likely to again be the diaspora's first choice in Sunday's runoff.
With more than one million registered Romanian voters abroad, their ballots are highly sought-after, as they could swing the result.
Here are key details about these voters:
Deeply fractured diaspora
In the first round of voting on May 4, Simion received 60 percent of the ballots cast abroad, compared to the 25 percent scored by his rival, the centrist mayor of Bucharest Nicusor Dan.
While some overseas voters characterise their choice as “anti-establishment”, others cast their ballot in a bid to see their “dignity” restored, said Elena Stancu, a journalist who has been closely covering the country’s diaspora for years.
Between wealthy expatriates and hard-up factory or care workers scraping by, Romania’s diaspora is “deeply fractured”, Stancu explained.
Workers of thankless jobs
Many Romanians left the country after the end of communism in 1989, with many more following in their footsteps after the country joined the European Union in 2007.
Especially in the beginning, many left Romania -- one of the EU's poorest countries -- to escape economic difficulties.
Struggling with living far away from their families, they often took thankless jobs, working as caregivers, in agriculture or construction.
“They feel marginalised, humiliated and despised by Western societies” where they have put roots down, because they feel they are being treated like second-class citizens, Stancu told AFP.
'Non-ideological' vote
Vowing to restore Romania’s “dignity” within the European Union after decades of a “corrupt” and “arrogant” political establishment in power, Simion’s anti-establishment message has deeply resonated with those lower-paid workers.
Neither Euroscepticism nor an inclination towards Russia is fuelling their “non-ideological” vote, said Stancu.
When asked about Simion's programme, his supporters question why his politics have been branded extremist.
On the other hand Romanians in higher paying jobs, such as doctors and IT engineers, tended to vote for centrist Dan, a mathematician who studied in France.
The pro-European candidate also secured votes from Romanians living in countries such as Moldova, Hungary and Ukraine, as Simion has in the past called for some neighbouring territories to be returned to Romania.
Unlike Simion, who campaigned all over Europe, his rival Dan barely travelled abroad to woo the diaspora.
Simion known to diaspora
According to Sorina Soare, a political scientist at the University of Florence, Simion has been active in Europe for years.
Even before his AUR party was established in 2019, Simion was known for his political activism in the diaspora.
“He has been building his credibility for a long time,“ she noted, referring also to the influence of social networks in his campaign.
In TikTok clips, members of the diaspora can be seen appealing to their relatives in Romania to vote for Simion, “the man who will allow us to return” to the country.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Romanians abroad under spotlight ahead of presidential run-off )
Also on site :
- EU queen Ursula preached transparency – then did backdoor deals with Big Pharma
- Robert Irwin Goes Red Carpet Official With Lucky Lady: 'It's a Big Step'
- Popular Candy Brand Debuts New Way to Enjoy Its Chocolate