AUR leader George Simion characterized 2025 as “a watershed year” for democracy, in which his party opposed abuses and advocated respect for citizens’ votes.
AUR President George Simion highlighted on his personal blog the formation’s internal consolidation, increased by-elections and political action in Parliament as tools to challenge the government, saying the AUR would continue to fight “fearlessly and without compromise”.
“2025 was not a year like any other. It was a year of rupture. A year in which it was clearly seen how fragile democracy is when those in power decide that the popular will can be ignored. It was a year in which we were faced with a simple and hard choice: accept the abuse or oppose it. I chose to oppose it.” claims the AUR leader.
Silence as a form of betrayal
Simion is of the opinion that after the cancellation of the 2024 presidential elections, Romania entered a dangerous zone, where the rules were changed on the fly, and the citizens’ vote was treated as an inconvenient detail.
“I felt that silence would be a form of betrayal. That’s why I took to the streets alongside the Romanians. Not out of pride, not for political capital, but for a non-negotiable principle: in a democracy, the vote is not annulled. I saw simple people, families, pensioners, young people, coming to protests from all corners of the country – and from outside – not for a party, but for respect. For the right to be heard. For the feeling that this country still belongs to them. If in 2025 we had chosen silence, Romania would have definitively entered a facade democracy, in which the vote exists only on paper, and the real decision is made outside the will of the people”. says Simion.
Assumed support for Călin Georgescu
The AUR leader states that the support given to Călin Georgescu came from the same logic.
“It was an assumed decision, not a comfortable one. At a time when many preferred to stay sheltered, I chose to support a message that spoke of sovereignty, dignity and national interest, without asking the permission of the system.
In May, following the abusive elimination of Călin Georgerscu from the electoral race, I entered the presidential race against Nicușor Dan knowing that it would be an unequal confrontation. I knew the media machine would only work in one direction. I know the pressure will be enormous. That they will use all the levers, all the horns, to discredit our movement. But I considered that Romanians have the right to hear a clear alternative, without detours, without double language. An alternative that tells the truth,” says George Simion.
AUR topped the polls
He also talks about the explosive growth registered by AUR in the polls, where it ranks first in Romanians’ preferences.
“AUR grew, welded, matured. We built structures, trained people, withstood pressure and stood together when the stakes were high. This matters, because the battles ahead are not won alone.
This fall was all about building and consolidating. In the county organizations of the AUR, internal elections were held that strengthened the party and emphasized discipline, responsibility and preparation for governance. It wasn’t a show, but serious work, from the inside“, believes the AUR leader.
Simion argues that the local by-elections sent a clear political signal.
“In Bucharest, the candidate supported by the AUR obtained second place, surpassing the PSD and USR candidates: In Buzău, in one of the counties most subjugated by the PSD, the AUR candidate came in second place. These are results that show that this coalition against nature, built around the Bolojan government, is beginning to erode, while the AUR grows, stabilizes and gains real ground”.
No-confidence motions, necessary political gestures
George Simion also talks about the opposition made in parliament and the countless no-confidence motions submitted.
“In the Parliament, AUR did not play theater! The censure motions filed against the Bolojan government were not symbolic gestures, but necessary political acts. Someone had to say publicly that this government presses on the shoulders of Romanians, governs by exceptions and avoids responsibility at every step. Even without a majority, we chose to use all democratic tools to expose the truth. To stop the slide into authoritarianism.
At the end of the year, including the political opponents, they came to note an inconvenient fact: the level of trust that the Romanians give me is higher than that enjoyed by Nicușor Dan. I don’t see this as a personal victory. I see it as a serious signal about the rift between the state and the citizen.
It is proof that Romaniansi look for leaders who do not shy away from confrontation and who don’t back down when the pressure gets real”believes the AUR leader.
He says that 2025 was a difficult year, a year of pressures, labels and attempts at isolation. in which he was attacked, caricatured and demonized, but announces that 2025 was only against, the preparation.
What comes next will be harder, harder and clearer. We know what we have to do and we know who we are fighting for until the end.
