As he prepares to face off in Coslada, a cramped dorm area outside of Madrid with a sizable Italian community, on Sunday, far-right presidential candidate George Simion has found powerful support in a far country. The Spanish city of 80 000 people, of which more than 20 % are Romanian, demonstrate the support Simion has received from fellow citizens worldwide, who are eager to help the 38-year-old defeat his pro-European adversary Nicusor Dan, the moderate mayor of Bucharest. Numerous immigrants from the Eastern German nation claimed to have voted for Simion in the first round on May 4 at a shop deck close to Coslada’s so-called” People ‘ Square,” which was once a meeting spot for day laborers looking to get hired by companies. Simion, a supporter of US President Donald Trump and leader of the patriotic AUR party, won the vote with his anti-establishment information, taking 40.9 %. His victory in the community was even greater, with more than 60 % of People abroad supporting him. He won 74 % of the ballot in Spain. I desire shift. As Mioara Mohora wrapped prosciutto slices for a client at the “Economic Market Discount” mini-mart, which was stacked with Italian goods like pickled vegetables and beer,” and so does everyone again home,” she said. Mohora, who is in her 40s and has resided in Spain for eight years, said she made the decision to throw her absentee vote for Simion after Romania’s constitutional court canceled the country’s first presidential poll last year due to accusations of Russian disturbance. The decision, which came after dark-horse far-right candidate Calin Georgescu unapologetically won the November election, sparked sometimes violent demonstrations. Georgescu is prohibited from running once more. Mohora referred to her backing for Simion as a “protest vote.” We were denied the right to vote for the person we actually wanted.
” Looking for a hero”
Mihaela Ionescu, 48, claimed that Romanian authorities had “overturned the people’s will” with the election cancellation as she weighed minced meat at a nearby Romanian butcher shop. Ionescu, who has lived in Spain for 20 years, claimed she did not cast a ballot this weekend and that she did not vote last year or earlier this month. Romans are in desperate need. When asked about Simion, she responded,” They are looking for a hero.” Since the end of communism in 1989, Romania’s economy has recovered significantly, but the country’s 19 million-strong population still struggles with widespread corruption and lower living standards in comparison to wealthy western and northern European nations. This has caused a large number of Romanians to relocate abroad. One of the largest foreign communities in Spain is made up of around 600,000 people who reside in Spain. Around 17,500 Romanians live in Coslada. Buses that travel to BucureÅŸti are frequently displayed, and many store signs feature both Romanian and Spanish.
” Unapologetically disappointed”
According to Daniel Tecu, president of the Federation of Romanian Associations in Europe, the diaspora is largely divided into two groups. There are those who want to remain firmly rooted in the EU, have witnessed the growth of Romania there, and have nothing to do with Russia, he said. People who are “tired of corruption, angry, and who don’t return to Romania because it’s not the country they want” were the main voters for Simion, who won mainly from the other group. The diaspora used to vote for pro-Europeans, but that’s over now, according to Florin Padurariu, the owner of Botosani, a Romanian restaurant facing Coslada’s train station, Simion visited during a tour of Europe before the election. ” I have always voted, but I have always been disappointed,” said Padurariu, 55, who claimed to continue to support the EU and voted for Dan in the first round. You still haven’t learned anything after 20 years here, you ask? Thanks to the money you make here, Europe allows you to support your mother, your father, and your children,” he said.
