Far-right European leaders Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini publicly congratulated Romania\u2019s ultranationalist presidential candidate George Simion for placing first in the first round of the presidential elections held on Sunday, May 4.<\/p>\n
French opposition leader Marine Le Pen argued that the vote represented a defeat for European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, often portrayed as an authoritarian by far-right parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cRomania has just given Mrs. von der Leyen a very nice boomerang,\u201d said Le Pen, who was the favorite for the presidential elections scheduled in France in 2027 before a conviction for misappropriating the EU. Now, Le Pen is banned from holding public office, according to HotNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Italian deputy prime minister also welcomed Simion\u2019s victory. \u201cIn Romania, the people have finally voted freely, with their heads and hearts. What a message for the \u2018masters\u2019 in Brussels and their dirty tricks! Bravo, George Simion!\u201d wrote Matteo Salvini on X, who had previously criticized the cancellation of the presidential elections in Romania. Salvini\u2019s far-right party Lega is part of the government led by Giorgia Meloni, whom Simion praised repeatedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n