George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), announced via Facebook that he would contest the official results of the Romanian presidential election's second round, in which he was defeated.

He communicated this decision to over five million supporters, stating that he initially recognized the victory of independent candidate Nicușor Dan to avoid potential violence.

Simion alleges that 'voter tourism' funded by a budget of 100 million euros, particularly affecting Moldovan polling stations, and vote buying distorted the results.

He further claimed the French government intervened in the election process, attempting to influence voter sentiment by backing established Romanian influencers allied with his opponent.

In his statement, Simion suggested that Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the Telegram messaging service, should be consulted regarding claims that the French government requested him to silence voices supporting Simion.

Despite being backed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and having faced defeat with significant support from the Hungarian community in Transylvania, Simion expressed skepticism regarding the possibility of his appeal being upheld by the currently constituted Constitutional Court.

He suggested that the court must uphold its past rulings, referencing a precedent from December 6, when it allegedly invalidated the election of Călin Georgescu as 'president'.

Simion emphasized that only he, as a presidential candidate, has the right to challenge the election results but encouraged his supporters to submit written petitions to the Constitutional Court to 'stop this farce'.

He stated he would provide a template for these complaints.

He also requested the immediate removal of criminal charges against Georgescu, who has been accused of fascist propaganda and illegal campaign financing, which have led to an investigation against him.

The AUR leader indicated that his party's lawmakers would not legitimize the government formation discussions or ministerial hearings involving the 'puppet president', whom he claims is being imposed on the Romanian people by the old political system and the French government.

He warned his followers that he would only communicate through 'his own channels', labeling much of the press as unreliable and alleging that the government had bought off media outlets during the election campaign.

In his address, Simion stated, 'Just because I decided on May 18 to correctly interpret the numbers and to avoid violence does not mean that we can be deceived.

In the coming days and weeks, we will do everything in our power to prevent any foreign commands from France and other countries.' He claimed that his direct supporters have been threatened and are concerned about their safety and property.

'I will not allow a single hair on their heads to be harmed.

I know what I’m talking about; the people stand by me.

Even if you hide in a den of snakes, we will find you if you try to intimidate political opposition, free press, and economy,' he asserted.

Simion urged his supporters not to give up the fight and to collaborate with international organizations that remain loyal to democracy, while cautioning against engaging with those involved in what he described as a 'coup' and who have proven to be 'traitors'.

The official results from the Central Electoral Bureau indicate that Nicușor Dan secured 6,168,642 votes in the second round, defeating Simion, who garnered 5,339,053 votes by a margin of approximately 830,000.

The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the validity of the election results on Thursday.