Romania’s election

Clear victory, uncertain future


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Another title could be "They won seats, they lost yet again credibility".
Despite this landslide victory or possibly because of it, the voices of malaise, in Europe but also inside Romania, are not abated! Some comentators are trying to engage the debate aroud post election themes: to no avail! There seems to be no plan for the future, no unifying objectives, in a vord no vision! It could be, one must wonder, the un-natural form of the alliance: liberals do not easily mix with constructivists, let alone ex-communists!
But, another one could argue, Romania has plenty to do: absorption of europe funds, reform of some moribond sectors, reform, at last, of her justice system! Yet all those absolut necessary steps are presented as if external forces compel to do them, as some disagreable obligations to be executed almost under threat!
It must be then, the lack of leadership, because a fatal confusion prevailed: provoking a political scandal do not signify being a visionary politician!
In reality, alas romanians know that so very well and that possibly explains in part the sixty percent abstention rate, the party system-not an unique one this time but an oligarchic one- with strong barriers to entry can eliminate silently all real challenger: voters did not bother to go out for party-promoted politicians with no more scruples than those of yore!
By clinching to such a system proof is not only given of their ineptness but it is highly offensive to the romanians, who once again, are presented as deserving their slob leaders and, all in all, show the little consideration for the democracy of these politicians!



The timeline as I see it looks like this:





north of sixty











MarkyM in reply to north of sixty


north of sixty in reply to MarkyM









Europ-Ness in reply to MarkyM

You can not compare the convicted Nastase with allegations of wrong doing, even if the tactic of launching two contradictory information was always used in order to disinform and to confuse! (you know by who!)
Did not happen to dawn on you that cuts were necessary in order to not be in a situation of bankrupcy?
I still wonder how little was learned after the hyperinflation ater 2212. One again there is not a cruelest form of corruption that the corruption of its currency!

MarkyM in reply to north of sixty

I put my hope in the assumption that they will fight each other to extinction and after, with help from EU, a better political class would emerge.
I see nothing appealing in Ponta et Co. For me they are just new foot soldiers of the old mafia. However as opposed to you I don't think they are worse than the newer Basescu mafia. They are equally 'good'.
I think that the demise of the Basescu mafia at these last elections is a good thing, they were getting too powerful, very much the way Nastase and the old mafia was before they got kicked out by Basescu and his.
Finally you stroke a nerve when talking about everybody leaving. But you know why? Because I keep asking myself if the "decent" among us leave, who remains there to lead? Me, you and many others are lamenting about what happens in Romania, but we've all forfeited our chance to do something about it the moment we left. Our frustration about the situation in Romania comes from the love for our country, the same country that we hated as much as to leave there and go live among strangers. However, this love hunts us and makes us scan the internet about anything related to Romania, post in such blogs, or feel angry that we feel slightly embarrassed when we tell some stranger that we come from Romania... yet, we go for two weeks to Romania in vacation and these scruples disappear at least for a time :-)

Europ-Ness in reply to MarkyM

They will not fight to death simply because the USL have the majority!
Your point of view is to be taken: you seem to imply that an all powerful group must, in a democracy, replace another one! This is oligarchy and not a mature democracy!
Anyhow as you pointed out the old guard with direct connections to the most barbarous totalitarian european state should have been put to the bin of history!



ctrl_m in reply to wsgilbert






kent584 in reply to wsgilbert

So you agree with Gabriela saying that critics of failures in Romania gives her reasons to "become nationalistic"!
How to understand the split in some minds "us vs.the strangers" when we talk about our Europe and our historic, natural family?
I suppose this is the deal for some slack: respect us, love us if not beware of the nationalism! Hardly a currency at all!

ctrl_m in reply to kent584




north of sixty in reply to ctrl_m









Same errors copied from Eastern Approaches post.
Three days before The Economist was send to print was clear that USL has a constitutional super- majority of 67% of the M.P. Obviously this is not the reason why they want to talk with UDMR.
The last agreement with IMF was a precautionary agreement not a standard standby no money was drawn. The next one should be also a precautionary one -no money will be drawn. IMF may like or not some policies but in such agreements what you pay (e.q nothing) is what you get.








kent584 in reply to r2__d2


ctrl_m in reply to kent584

Kent, good insight. The real trouble is to get those 60 percent or so to go vote. We're in a situation where a discontent, sometimes vocal, but definitely politically unsavvy minority has voted. The allegedly savvy majority stayed home.

Of course, we can say that USL missed the boat with the EU, but the EU can do nothing as long as the rules of the (voting) game are followed, and they will quickly get tired of dealing with yet another sick body in the Union.

Metaphorically speaking, Romania's ship is listing and long term course may be veering dangerously to the East.


I am also optimistic about Romania, for similar reasons.
The 60 percent gathered by USL may look huge, but its really a bubble. All circumstances are against USL during the next 6 months: the component parties have opposite doctrines, their long trumpetted promisses have no financial feasibility, their leaders are eroded and untrustful, and the winter just arrived in Romania (the country has real winters, which fact matter a lot economically and socially). Surely, the petty alliance of the Hungarians - the whore of all parties - will readily provide their few percentages. But this only makes the bubble funnier. During the next months, I'll be waiting the burst with great cinephilic interest.

ctrl_m in reply to Ioan








shaun39 in reply to ctrl_m




linksonice in reply to ctrl_m

I hope to God you're wrong. No future can be all that bad. On the contrary, I think the stronger of the state institutions will survive the coming USL stagnation, and provide enough checks and balances to make things work in the long run. Eventually, the USL pipe dream itself will run out of steam too, on account of real politik (as you said, the component parties are fundamentally incompatible), not to mention the apparent incompetence and sheer mediocrity of the "main faces" therein. The EU will also have a positive role in maintaining balance, as they did in July, unless the EU itself goes to pot economically and politically speaking, which is not altogether impossible. The main thing however is to try and remain positive, and not give up on the good things that have been achieved during the "orange era". These things may not be as easy to roll back as you suggest.

ctrl_m in reply to linksonice



There are several major sorespots:



gabriela2k in reply to ctrl_m



ctrl_m in reply to gabriela2k


gabriela2k in reply to ctrl_m

My apologies for being rude. But too many people are saying bad things about our country - I guess I am becoming nationalist. And I am glad that I was not right and that you are rather unhappy than happy. That Goodnight Romania had that effect on me. Apologies again. As to my perspective on actual facts - it would be a too long discussion. But I only want to say that living here, seeing everyday the real things that happen, not distorted by media, is smth else - I always have the feeling that seen from outside the country ,the picture is not the real one, it is smth else to feel it here, than just reading different opinions in media - some of them in goodwill, others in bad will. I am not a leftist, but a liberal - I voted USL as the liberals are part of USL - and I have quite high expectation of them all, PDL and PSD. I hope my expect. will be met. Otherwise, it will be not so good for our country. For the time being, it looks like things are going to a good direction. Let's all wish Romania good luck instead of saying Good night. I hope you understood my anger and why I was rude.

Ioan in reply to ctrl_m


ctrl_m in reply to Ioan

I think that looking at Eastern Europe as a whole is an interesting perspective. Hungary has had a similar experience I believe, I don't know much about Poland.

I would echo your concerns (just like you seem to echo mine), and reiterate my worry that the institutions and structural changes are in the process of being reverted (why are we going back to the pre 2003 constitution that stipulates that Parliament can overturn the decisions of the constitutional court? Why was it necessary to change the media law (legea audivizualului) now right before the elections when it seemed to be working fine over the past decade?).

A true democracy should not have to "resist pressure until it has no choice, then adjust more deeper than the neighbors." In a real democracy, there would be no pressure, period. It is exactly these pressures (by the way- please elaborate on them) that worry me.

Ioan in reply to ctrl_m

I am concerned about democracy, yes. You point out important, alarming signals, yes. But when I'm talking about pressures, and about those patterns (as I see them) of reaction, I am talking the reaction of the country as system (not political system, but just system, the country as a country) and about economic pressures and economic cycles. Not about (only) democracy. The democracy depends on the economics, like it or not. If you want to consolidate the democracy, you need to consolidate the economics. Hitler didn't win because people turned undemocratic for cultural reasons, but because of the economics. Communism didn't fall because of cultural illumination in those countries, but because of economics - this is what drives the quality of life. It's not the only thing making the quality of life, but it's they key. And democracy is a MEANS towards higher quality of life.
You want to maintain and cultivate democracy in Romania? Come up with a viable development strategy. The country will not lose democracy on short term. (The USL masters will still need time to destroy, they are not alone in that country, they can't do whatever they want). But will lose it in less than a decade if no powerful development strategy will be found. Trust the country on short term, but help it on longer-term. This is my point on this thread.

ctrl_m in reply to Ioan

Ioan, of course economic development is key to sustaining democracy. And perhaps things will be fine in the long run. But a decade is a *very long* time in the lifespan of one person. Say you were 20 now and a fresh college graduate. Would you be willing to wait around for 10 years to start a promising career, or would you rather pack your bags and move somewhere else? Say, again for the sake of argument, that you were 30 and things have been going well for you in the past decade. Would you want to wait for another decade for work to pick up again? What about your family and kids? And this line of argument can go on.

Plus, I'm worried that USL are tempted to turn back time by two decades, not just one, and have us land back in the "creative democracy" ("Democratia originala") of the early '90s, a period of dark despair for a lot of people.

Ioan in reply to ctrl_m

You are tempted, but I already think that this is exactly what USL wants: to "turn time back". They will do a lot of damadge but they will not be able to turn time back. Again: they are not able to do just all they want. People will quickly see that USL is not able to improve the economy, and they will vote them down very quickly. USL may try to blabla on the nationalistic cord, but with limited success: people know that we are Europe.
No, nobody should wait 10 years. But beware: there is nothing wrong with going abroad - I think people should live a number of years in different countries. Only so you can really, trully learn to understand the others and love your own country. We live in the era of communications. I have lived for many years abroad (decades, by the way) and ... never really left my country. I'll always be Romanian and a true European - having lived in several EU countries.
We are all connected, we need to use this advantage of our epoch. Traveling abroad for work is not bad, on the contrary. Abroad is not ... on Mars (or not yet).

MilovanDjilas in reply to Ioan

Hello Ioan.




Ioan in reply to MilovanDjilas

Romanians bridging countries with their work and lifes, including yours, are among those people in Europe which will insure that the European Union has a future.
About the Greek crisis, Romanians think that the Greek still have higher incomes than Romanians, which is not fair. Which makes the smart Romanians think that we need more true development and the stupid Romanians think that we need more debt.



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