Socialist in Brussels, nationalist in Bucharest: Romanian civic groups call for an investigation into PSD

A coalition of Romanian civic organizations has turned to the Party of European Socialists (PES), asking it to examine how compatible PSD's policies are with the European party family's founding principles, at a time when Romania's Social Democrats are increasingly tightening their cooperation with the far-right AUR. According to the petition reported by G4Media, these are not isolated instances of joint parliamentary voting, but rather the normalization of cooperation with the far right, which weakens democratic safeguards and endangers Romania's rule of law.

Citing Article 11 of PES's statute, the initiators are asking for an investigation into PSD's political conduct, arguing that the party regularly departs from progressive values and its own European commitments. One key point in the petition concerns electoral cooperation: the civic groups recall earlier statements by Alfred Simonis and Marcel Ciolacu about redirecting votes toward AUR, and claim that PSD regularly helps far-right candidates gain votes. Their complaint is that, in doing so, the Social Democrats are not merely acknowledging AUR's presence but are themselves contributing to its political strengthening.

The list of grievances, however, does not stop at elections, as the document also addresses legislative cooperation on tax and economic policy, joint parliamentary action, and openly discussed plans for governing together. The initiators specifically highlight that the rapprochement between PSD and AUR deepened further during the 2026 government crisis, and that, in their view, this cooperation has also become visible in the distribution of institutional power. As an example, they cite the joint takeover of control over public radio and television, as well as the reshuffling of parliamentary leadership, during which far-right figures secured leading positions in the Chamber of Deputies with PSD's votes. In the civic groups' interpretation, these decisions already affect the functioning and independence of institutions important for democratic oversight.

The petition also faults PSD for AUR's public political rehabilitation, recalling several statements that serve to present the far-right party as an acceptable partner. Vasile Dîncu, PSD's deputy chairman and a member of the European Parliament, for instance, said there was not enough evidence to classify AUR as extremist, while Rareș Hopincă, the Social Democratic mayor of Bucharest's District 2, called labeling AUR an extremist party a dangerous direction. Meanwhile, Dragoș Benea and other prominent PSD politicians argued in favor of a government formed with AUR's support or participation, saying it would not be the end of the world.

The initiators also point out that PSD's conduct has not gone unnoticed at the European level either: members of the European People's Party have questioned the pro-European commitment of Romania's Social Democrats, while figures from the green political family have criticized the normalization of cooperation between mainstream parties and the far right. According to the document, reports in the international press have likewise examined these developments from the standpoint of democratic stability and European institutional cooperation. The civic coalition is therefore expecting concrete steps from the European Socialists: it is asking that PSD publicly reaffirm its rejection of cooperation with extremist parties, that its parliamentary voting practices be subjected to an independent investigation, and it is also pushing for the establishment of a monitoring mission to observe the state of democratic oversight institutions, as well as an internal assessment of whether PSD complies with PES's founding principles and statute.

The petition's conclusion states that PSD is not honoring the democratic firewall it committed to in isolating the far right, and is in fact using the possibility of an alliance with AUR as a tool of domestic political blackmail: threatening its opponents with it while reinforcing its own power. The request addressed to the European Socialists thus puts an uncomfortable family matter on the table: do the same rules apply to their Romanian sister party that PES holds other political families to?

The full text of the petition can be read here!

Ugar