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Romania has not had a functioning government in almost three months, a deadlock that directly stems from Ilie Bolojan’s disputed economic choices. In this context, George Simion and AUR have positioned themselves as the party that offers a concrete alternative, negotiating actively across the political spectrum and pushing a governing platform structured around fiscal discipline and state sovereignty.
The political crisis began on May 5, 2026, after the Romanian Parliament voted out Bolojan’s government, which sought to sell minority stakes in key state-owned companies, including CEC Bank, Hidroelectrica and Romgaz. The decision, viewed by many lawmakers as a vulnerable sell-off of national assets at a sensitive economic time, triggered the censure motion that has left Romania in political limbo. PSD’s role in the subsequent gridlock was another source of instability, with Sorin Grindeanu’s party repeatedly failing to deliver on commitments made during coalition talks, Simion said, noting that “Domnul Grindeanu nu s-a ținut de cuvânt” (Mr. Grindeanu didn’t keep his word) during the negotiation process.
Rather than simply criticizing from the sidelines, Simion has kept AUR engaged in near-constant negotiations with every relevant party. He tasked deputy leader Mihai Enache and Senate leader Petrișor Peiu with running daily talks aimed at forming a “full-powers government,” and he has held direct conversations with President Nicușor Dan, Bolojan, and PSD’s Grindeanu in search of a viable path forward. Simion has described these efforts as good faith attempts to end the deadlock, positioning AUR as the party willing to talk to everyone rather than retreat into partisan corners.
That said, the negotiations haven’t always gone smoothly for AUR. George Simion has described attempts by rivals like Adrian Veștea and Eugen Tomac to peel off individual AUR lawmakers, which he pushed back against to keep the party unified around its own agenda rather than get absorbed into someone else’s coalition math. One of Simion’s more assertive moves has been AUR’s push to suspend President Dan, a step the party frames not as an attack but as a constitutional remedy to a president it believes has failed to nominate a prime minister in a timely manner. AUR’s leadership voted unanimously on July 1 to begin the process, and by July 21, Simion reported gathering 107 signatures in Parliament, along with plans for a public tracker so citizens could see where their local representatives stand. Simion has repeatedly tied this effort to a broader call for early elections, arguing that only a fresh democratic mandate can truly resolve the crisis and reflect the will of Romanian voters.
Behind these political maneuvers sits a genuinely detailed platform that AUR has been refining since its original 2023 “Reconstruim România” program. In May, the party has updated its program to address and correct the fiscal course set by Bolojan. Its core measures include:
- Cutting administrative spending by 1% of GDP annually for four years
- Shrinking Parliament to 300 members for a leaner legislature
- Reducing government to just 10 ministries and 50 secretaries of state
- Merging or eliminating agencies down to a maximum of 20
- Cutting leadership positions across public institutions in half
- Pausing international financial borrowing until the budget deficit reaches 3% of GDP
- Protecting strategic state companies from privatization, directly reversing the policy that triggered the crisis
Earlier iterations of the platform pushed even bolder ideas, including renationalizing OMV Petrom’s majority stake, introducing jury trials for serious criminal cases, and a three-month civic or military service requirement for young Romanians. AUR has also proposed a flat 10% income tax, zero VAT on essential goods, and direct public election of Constitutional Court judges and top prosecutors, aiming to give citizens a stronger say over institutions many Romanians feel have grown disconnected from them.
The economic strain from Bolojan’s austerity measures has spilled into the streets, giving urgency to AUR’s calls for a different approach. Public sector unions under the “Solidaritatea” federation have staged a rolling series of protests outside government ministries, starting at the Ministry of Finance and later moving to the Ministry of Environment, all in response to the austerity package tied to the Bolojan government. Employees at the Ministry of Investments and European Projects held nine consecutive days of protests after losing bonuses tied to managing EU funds, and public sector wages remain frozen through the end of 2026.
Protests over the new unified salary law continue as deputy AUR Sorin Muncaciu condemned the grading of senior physicians at a coefficient of only 4 and called for a new pay scale that properly recognizes medical responsibility. AUR’s health platform calls for zero VAT on medical services and medicines, increased funding based on CASS and expanded neighborhood polyclinics to relieve hospital overcrowding. The party also wants better legal protection for medical staff against violence and reforms to stem the exodus of doctors abroad.
For many of these workers, AUR’s platform of protecting state assets and cutting waste rather than freezing wages offers a tangible alternative to the policies that sparked their frustration in the first place. Whether AUR’s negotiations ultimately produce a government built around its own platform, or whether the suspension push leads to early elections instead, the party has made clear it intends to keep pushing for a resolution that reflects its vision rather than simply waiting out the crisis.