Romania's Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and its leader, George Simion, played a decisive role in preventing the confirmation of Prime Minister-designate Adrian Vestea on June 22, but their actions should not be interpreted as a defence of democratic principles, historian Cosmin Popa said in the Vorbitorincii podcast hosted by journalist Cătălin Striblea. According to Popa, political forces seeking to concentrate power often rely on democratic mechanisms to facilitate their rise. "The non-democratic parties that seek to seize all power actually need democracy to facilitate their win," Popa said.