The issue of implementing the International Criminal Court´s (ICC) arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become a controversy in the final stage of the presidential election in Romania. The Romanians will elect a new president on May 18 in a second round of voting.
The two remaining candidates are George Simion of the sovereignist right-wing party AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians), who finished leading the first round of the election on May 4 with 41% of the votes, and the current mayor of Bucharest, Nicosur Dan, independent candidate, who is expected to rally the center-left voters. Dan got only 21% of the votes in the first round.
The first race to elect a new Romanian president, which took place in November and December 2024, was annulled due to accusations about Russian interference in the campaign in favor of the leading candidate at the time, Calin Georgescu.
Simion, Dan differ in their approach to Netanyahu
During the first TV debate between Simion and Dan, the mayor of Bucharest declared that under his presidency, Netanyahu would not be invited to Romania, as long as the ICC´s arrest warrant wasn't cancelled.
“It will never happen that [Russian]President Putin would come to Romania while there is an arrest warrant (against him)”, said Dan.
“We must have a normal relationship with Israel, and if the question is about Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Criminal Court´s decision, the answer is the same. It will never happen that Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to Romania, while there is this decision”.
The leading candidate of the first round, Simion, clearly opposed his rival's position on inviting Netanyahu.
“Of course, Vladimir Putin should be arrested for war crimes. Still, I differ with my opponent when he says that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should be arrested and has no place in Romania. In my opinion, just as Donald Trump received Netanyahu and other European states received him and organized state visits, Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Bucharest and mine to Tel Aviv and Ramallah, in the two states that Romania recognizes and supports at the UN level, will be possible."
Simion, 38, privately visited Israel last March for the first time, touring holy sites in Jerusalem. Until summer 2023, Israel avoided any contacts with the AUR party, since it was considered a party sheltering right-wing activists, antisemites, and holocaust deniers.
However, after Simion clarified his party's positions regarding the Holocaust and Romanian Jews, he officially met with Israel's former ambassador to Romania, Reuven Azar. Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, also participated in the meeting, after which Simion published a statement acknowledging responsibility for the Holocaust of Romanian Jews, promising to fight antisemitism, and announcing support for the Jewish people's historic right to build and live in Judea and Samaria.
AUR is the second-largest party in the current Romanian Parliament. Recent polls foresee a victory of Simion in the second round of voting with a majority of around 54% comפared with the support of around 45% for his rivals. US President Donald Trump might officially endorse Simion in the days before the elections.
“This election is clearly between the supporters of Trump and the supporters of the EU in Romania”, says a representative of a Jewish organization in Bucharest, who wishes to stay anonymous.
“Simion has kept to his words given to the former Israeli ambassador, but in his party, there are still some problematic elements. On the other hand, Dan can't be considered a friend. For example, he has been blocking as mayor of Bucharest the plans to build a museum on the history of Romania's Jews."