Andrei-Constantin Gudu is a freelance journalist based in Romania who writes about economic, social, and labor issues.
Historically, Romania has had more emigration than immigration. Yet nationalist parties are now importing US Republicans’ anti-immigrant talking points, using culture-war rhetoric to distract from bigger economic questions.
Ultranationalist candidate George Simion has a big poll lead ahead of Sunday’s Romanian presidential election. He’s sought legitimacy from foreign leaders like Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni, showing how the far right is increasingly the establishment.
Ultranationalist Călin Georgescu was barred from Romania’s presidential election, but now another far-right candidate has taken over his poll lead. To defeat them requires real social policies, not just calls to stop extremism.