With more than one million registered Romanian voters abroad, their ballots are highly sought-after, as they could swing the result.
Deeply fractured diaspora
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.
Workers of thankless jobs
Especially in the beginning, many left Romania -- one of the EU's poorest countries -- to escape economic difficulties.
“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.
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.
When asked about Simion's programme, his supporters question why his politics have been branded extremist.
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.
Simion known to diaspora
Even before his AUR party was established in 2019, Simion was known for his political activism in the diaspora.
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.
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