Although George Simion may resemble leaders like Meloni or Orbán in style, his nationalist rhetoric—particularly his anti-Hungarian positions—marks a clear distinction.Continue reading
Péter Szijjártó is confident that as many Hungarian voters as possible will participate in Sunday’s Romanian elections and that the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania’s (RMDSZ) political goals will be achieved. Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade was interviewed on the ZSBP Podcast by Barna Pál Zsigmond, former Consul General in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of EU Affairs, about the presidential election, Maszol.ro reported.
“In order to pursue a successful national policy and do the best we can for Hungarians living beyond the border, we here in Budapest must simply follow what the representatives of the Hungarian communities beyond the border tell us or ask of us,” the Minister stated.
Péter Szijjártó recalled that the RMDSZ enjoys broad legitimacy. “The RMDSZ represents the Hungarian community in Transylvania and Szeklerland. The RMDSZ received unprecedented trust in the last parliamentary elections, mainly from Hungarians, which led to it becoming the ruling party. The RMDSZ has a clear position on this issue as well. I hope that as many ethnic Hungarians as possible will participate in the Romanian presidential election, and I sincerely hope that the RMDSZ’s political goals will be achieved,” Mr. Szijjártó emphasized.
He added that the Hungarian government always strives for the best possible cooperation with its neighboring countries.
We see that if the Hungarian national community has strong representation in a given country, then good cooperation always comes about more easily.
So we are interested in the success of the RMDSZ in every election that takes place in Romania,” he stressed.
The Foreign Minister’s words came before Romania holds the second round of the presidential election on May 19. There are only two candidates left: George Simion from AUR and independent Nicușor Dan, who is currently the Mayor of Bucharest. As Hungary Today reported, a dispute took place recently regarding the candidates, after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that he agrees with the words of George Simion. The Romanian politician said that now is the time for a Europe of nations, a Christian Europe, in which we will fight for our right to be European citizens. “We completely agree,” stated Mr. Orbán. He emphasized that we share a historical destiny with the Romanians. He added that Hungarians would like to send a message to the people of Romania and their future president: we stand on the ground of unity and cooperation, and therefore we will not support any isolation or political retaliation against Romania and its leaders, he stated.
Hungarian politicians in Transylvania were not content with the Prime Minister’s words. During the presidential election campaign, the RMDSZ, Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania, and the Hungarian Civic Force all took the position that Simion, who is seen as anti-Hungarian, must be prevented from becoming Romania’s next president.
RMDSZ President Hunor Kelemen posted a video message on Saturday in which he stated that Simion is not a friend of Hungarians, but rather anti-Hungarian.
The politician, along with the Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania, called on Hungarians in Romania to vote for Nicușor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, in the second round.
On Wednesday, Maszol.ro reported that the RMDSZ brought to attention the fact that Simion is now campaigning with leaflets written in Hungarian. The party wrote on their social media page that the candidate is trying to deceive Hungarian voters because he thinks they forget easily. “But we know who he is. We know his true face. And if we join forces, we can stop him,” RMDSZ emphasized.
The leaflets feature a photo of Mr. Simion as well as Viktor Orbán. They also include a quote in Hungarian attributed to the Prime Minister, saying that “Romanians can count on Hungarians in their fight for Christianity and sovereignty.”
Maszol.ro recalled that RMDSZ president Hunor Kelemen has also emphasized on several occasions that Simion is not a sovereignist or a Christian, but rather anti-Hungarian. “Simion is not a sovereignist, he is an illusionist. He is not a Christian, but a charlatan. Simion represents in every fiber of his being the principle that Hungarians have no place in Romania,” Mr. Kelemen stated. He also pointed out that Hungarians in Transylvania cannot forget the desecration of the cemetery in Valea Uzului (Úzvölgye) and the dozens of lawsuits filed by the AUR against the use of Szekler and Hungarian flags and the Hungarian language.
Via Maszol.ro, Featured photo via Pixabay