These are the fruits of over three decades of free-market orthodoxy, which has seen mass privatizations of industry, decreased security in the labor market and successive cuts to public services — all underpinned by strikingly low taxes, which stand at 16 percent for corporations and 10 percent on all personal income. This low-tax nirvana, which most American conservatives wouldn’t even dream of, comes hand in hand with the European Union’s largest budget deficit and a growing debt pile.
Yet most politicians seem strangely unconcerned with this state of affairs. Mr. Dan is no exception. The mayor of Bucharest since 2020, he has built his profile around fighting corruption and nefarious real estate interests. But he emphasizes the need for public spending cuts and has little to say, if anything, on socioeconomic justice. Recently, he stated that he is on the political right because it “prioritizes work instead of laziness.” This is in a country with the second-highest rate of in-work poverty and one of the lowest shares of G.D.P. spent on welfare in the European Union.
The one parliamentary force on the center-left, the Social Democratic Party, is little better. The party did not even stand a candidate in the election, instead choosing to endorse Crin Antonescu, an old figure of the mainstream right who failed to make the runoff. What’s more, in a coalition government since the end of last year with the right-wing Liberal Party, the party announced an extensive austerity plan that would disproportionately hit students and pensioners. Though no longer in office — the coalition collapsed the day after the first round — the party showed where its priorities lie.
Given this political landscape, it was only a matter of time until anti-establishment populists took electoral advantage — and how. Of the country’s 47 electoral districts, 36 went Mr. Simion’s way, proof of his widespread appeal, and support was strongest among groups most affected by the country’s lack of opportunities. Rural areas backed him and more than 60 percent of the diaspora, which is one of the largest in Europe, voted for him. This is what the focus on the role of Russian interference and unregulated social media misses. Behind the far-right’s rise, as elsewhere, is economic insecurity.
That’s not to say that far-right populists offer a truly different economic model. On the contrary, Mr. Simion has called for cutting welfare benefits and downsizing the public sector. He and his party have focused most of their economic agenda on catering to the domestic business class, especially the construction and hospitality sectors, while promising tax breaks and subsidies for farmers and small and medium enterprises. For poor Romanians, it’s just more promises of tax cuts. Even Mr. Simion’s flagship policy aimed at ordinary people — to build one million affordable homes — was candidly admitted to be mere political marketing.
