Chisinau Court will examine George Simion's request to lift the ban, immediately after the second round of the Romanian presidential elections
The Chisinau Court based in Râșcani will examine on May 19 the request of the leader of the AUR, George Simion, to cancel the ban on entry into the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The hearings in the case "Simion George-Nicolae versus the General Inspectorate for Migration" are scheduled for 2:30 p.m., according to the national court portal.
The request will be examined the day after the second round of the presidential elections in Romania. His lawyer, Iulian Rusanovschi, confirmed to Radio Free Europe that the court will analyze the legality of the ban, but said that the file is secret.
George Simion was first banned from entering the Republic of Moldova in 2009, following his participation in a unionist demonstration.
In 2015 and 2018, Simion was again declared an undesirable person, in the context of unionist actions, and he was escorted to the border. The last extension of the ban was in 2024. The authorities in Chisinau invoked risks to national security and public order, but the exact reasons were not made public, as they were classified.
If Simion wins the presidential elections, he would become the first Romanian head of state with travel bans in neighbouring states. In addition to the Republic of Moldova, he cannot enter Ukraine either, where he is accused of promoting ideas that challenge the borders of the Ukrainian state.
We remind you that George Simion, the candidate and leader of the far-right party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), and Nicușor Dan, an independent candidate and the mayor general of Bucharest, qualified for the second round of the presidential elections in Romania.
