According to Politico, after his defeat in the presidential elections, Simion has found a potential alternative path to power: the complete collapse of Romania's current ruling coalition. The current coalition is led by the Social Democrats (PSD) alongside the PNL, USR, and UDMR/RMDSZ, which represents the Hungarian minority. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan of the PNL is the formal leader, but the coalition has lost the support of the Socialists after he proposed severe austerity measures to address the country's large deficit. Since the Socialists are the largest party in parliament, while Simion's AUR holds the second-largest number of seats, it is highly likely that Bolojan will face a vote of no confidence, potentially plunging Romania into early elections. Simion sees this as his opportunity. According to polls, his AUR enjoys 35% support among Romanian citizens, a full 15 percentage points ahead of the second-place Socialists (20%). Although it is uncertain which party would form a coalition with the AUR, given its status as a radical right-wing party, Simion believes that early elections and a strong showing by his party could shift the stance of other parties in the country. The AUR leader is particularly proud of his ties to the Washington administration, specifically with individuals close to U.S. President Donald Trump. While connections to Trump, especially now, are often toxic in Europe, Simion views ties to Washington as a complement to his political positions, which he perceives as popular in Romaniaโ€”such as ending aid to Ukraine and "rejecting the dictates of the European Commission," as he describes his potential future government's departure from Brussels. In addition to these stances, Simion holds numerous populist ideas, such as abolishing state funding for political parties and reducing the number of parliamentarians. However, beyond the challenges of potential negotiations, Romania's constitution also stands in Simion's way. According to the constitution, early elections can only be called if parliament rejects two consecutive prime ministerial proposals and the president agrees to dissolve parliament and call new elections. Given that Romania's president is Nicusor Dan, a centrist who defeated Simion in the previous election, it is difficult to expect him to agree to call elections when the AUR enjoys this level of support.