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Democracy put to the test in Romania

flamer84

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Romania is about to elect a new president. There are 14 candidates, and the opinion polls say it will come down to a run-off. The country is at a crossroads that may affect the rest of Europe.

The major issues in the upcoming presidential elections in Romania (02.11.2014) are European values, the rule of law, and the question of whether the still-young Romanian democracy is under threat from a "putinization" of Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the country is in an economic and political crisis.

Twenty-five years after the fall of communism, Romanian society is still divided. On one side there are the young, well-educated people with liberal, pro-European convictions, on the other, the ever-loyal voters still backing the ex-communist Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The polls say that of the 14 candidates, only the current Prime Minister Victor Ponta, of the PSD, and Klaus Iohannis of the National Liberal Party (PNL) stand any chance of winning.

be28fcc7c7c8b7ade974b3207e4066db.jpg
Iohannis has even been accused of being a German spy

A German candidate


Iohannis belongs to the country's German minority, and was a very successful mayor of the city of Sibiu. He is a strong advocate for Romania remaining in the European community, and calls for "a Romania of good work." His election campaign focused on blaming the Social Democratic regional governors, the so-called "barons," for the country's economic and political problems.

According to Eurostat, Romania's economy shrank in the last two quarters of 2014, slipping back into recession. On top of that, the country was shaken by a series of corruption scandals, which reached to the heads of the PSD and the inner circles of the prime minister's office.

And the new emergency regulations have further weakened the population's trust in their political leaders. For a brief period, politicians in cities and local councils were allowed to swap parties without losing their mandates. The PSD exploited this trend, taking over hundreds of mayor's offices and city councils. Ponta has now been accused of influencing the voting in these local councils with the help of his defectors.

Putin as a model

To counter the threat from Iohannis, Ponta is now striking a left-wing nationalist and religious tone. Ponta made sure to distinguish himself from his Protestant rival by announcing that, as a member of the Romania Orthodox Church, he is entitled to be president of "his" country. Nor did he shy away from saying he was proud to be Romanian and stirring up sentiment against ethnic and religious minorities.


At the same time, the media, which is close to Ponta and his party, has launched a heavily negative campaign against the unwelcome challenger. Thus, Iohannis has been accused - without evidence - of being "tied up with human organ trading," or a "real estate con man," or even an agent for the German intelligence services - "Angela Merkel's Trojan horse."

e62dca3774c02bc9cbf5d8055245051d.jpg

If Ponta enters the presidential palace, it will threaten democracy, critics say

Not only that, Ponta favors a reassessment of relations with China, Russia, and Turkey, and an economic re-orientation of the country eastwards. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, and Viktor Orban in Hungary appear to be his role models.

Danger to the rule of law

The Romanian government has faced criticism internationally, too. US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland criticized what she called the "cancer of democratic regression and corruption" in certain Central and Southeastern European nations, and mentioned politicians who "protect the corrupt office holders from prosecution and bypass parliament as often as it suits them."

But it's not just Ponta's opponents who warn against a PSD triumph on Sunday. A victory would give Ponta's party, which has dominated parliament since 2012 with a majority strong enough to change the constitution, virtually unlimited power. The prime minister not only controls the foreign and defense portfolios personally, he is also responsible for appointments to key positions in the state prosecutors office, the executive, the legislature, the intelligence agencies and the judiciary.

Mircea Vasilescu, independent journalist and editor-in-chief of the news weekly Dilema, says that if Ponta wins, Romania would no longer be a just state. He calls the prime minister a dangerous populist. "Not only because he lacks the necessary maturity and vision for the presidency, and has shown a poor economic record," Vasilescu said. "He is a master of propaganda and his moving his party to impose measures that will threaten the rule of law."

Democracy put to the test in Romania | Europe | DW.DE | 01.11.2014
 
I don't see why "pro EU" and "pro Western" are synonymous. Western Europe is sick of the EU control freaks.
 
If Ponta wants to move Romania closer to Russia then why hasn't he done it already if he is currently the prime minister? In Romania does the president have the sole say over foreign policy?
 
If Ponta wants to move Romania closer to Russia then why hasn't he done it already if he is currently the prime minister? In Romania does the president have the sole say over foreign policy?


The President doesn't decide the foreign policy on his own but plays a large role in it.Anyway,as much as i dislike Ponta he is not pro Russia and the fact that he has good relations with Turkey is just a constant fact of Romanian policy after 1990,it's not something new.The pro China part is outright laughable,we just made a serious of economic deals and we're trying to attract Chinese investement by ramping our official visits and diplomatic ties with Beijing.In the end,most Western nations do the same,i don't see why we should have to get flakk for this.

Unfortunately,every minor attempt at criticising some EU policies gets you immediately labeled as a "pro Russian wannabee dictator" in here by the liberals.An effective method of silencing dissent.
 
Romanian politics seems really interesting
His election campaign focused on blaming the Social Democratic regional governors, the so-called "barons," for the country's economic and political problems.
How similar to Pakistan's feudals. What's your opinion on this, are these 'barons' really a problem or is it just political talk?
 
Romania is about to elect a new president. There are 14 candidates, and the opinion polls say it will come down to a run-off. The country is at a crossroads that may affect the rest of Europe.

The major issues in the upcoming presidential elections in Romania (02.11.2014) are European values, the rule of law, and the question of whether the still-young Romanian democracy is under threat from a "putinization" of Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the country is in an economic and political crisis.

Twenty-five years after the fall of communism, Romanian society is still divided. On one side there are the young, well-educated people with liberal, pro-European convictions, on the other, the ever-loyal voters still backing the ex-communist Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The polls say that of the 14 candidates, only the current Prime Minister Victor Ponta, of the PSD, and Klaus Iohannis of the National Liberal Party (PNL) stand any chance of winning.

View attachment 142331
Iohannis has even been accused of being a German spy

A German candidate


Iohannis belongs to the country's German minority, and was a very successful mayor of the city of Sibiu. He is a strong advocate for Romania remaining in the European community, and calls for "a Romania of good work." His election campaign focused on blaming the Social Democratic regional governors, the so-called "barons," for the country's economic and political problems.

According to Eurostat, Romania's economy shrank in the last two quarters of 2014, slipping back into recession. On top of that, the country was shaken by a series of corruption scandals, which reached to the heads of the PSD and the inner circles of the prime minister's office.

And the new emergency regulations have further weakened the population's trust in their political leaders. For a brief period, politicians in cities and local councils were allowed to swap parties without losing their mandates. The PSD exploited this trend, taking over hundreds of mayor's offices and city councils. Ponta has now been accused of influencing the voting in these local councils with the help of his defectors.

Putin as a model

To counter the threat from Iohannis, Ponta is now striking a left-wing nationalist and religious tone. Ponta made sure to distinguish himself from his Protestant rival by announcing that, as a member of the Romania Orthodox Church, he is entitled to be president of "his" country. Nor did he shy away from saying he was proud to be Romanian and stirring up sentiment against ethnic and religious minorities.


At the same time, the media, which is close to Ponta and his party, has launched a heavily negative campaign against the unwelcome challenger. Thus, Iohannis has been accused - without evidence - of being "tied up with human organ trading," or a "real estate con man," or even an agent for the German intelligence services - "Angela Merkel's Trojan horse."

View attachment 142332

If Ponta enters the presidential palace, it will threaten democracy, critics say

Not only that, Ponta favors a reassessment of relations with China, Russia, and Turkey, and an economic re-orientation of the country eastwards. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, and Viktor Orban in Hungary appear to be his role models.

Danger to the rule of law

The Romanian government has faced criticism internationally, too. US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland criticized what she called the "cancer of democratic regression and corruption" in certain Central and Southeastern European nations, and mentioned politicians who "protect the corrupt office holders from prosecution and bypass parliament as often as it suits them."

But it's not just Ponta's opponents who warn against a PSD triumph on Sunday. A victory would give Ponta's party, which has dominated parliament since 2012 with a majority strong enough to change the constitution, virtually unlimited power. The prime minister not only controls the foreign and defense portfolios personally, he is also responsible for appointments to key positions in the state prosecutors office, the executive, the legislature, the intelligence agencies and the judiciary.

Mircea Vasilescu, independent journalist and editor-in-chief of the news weekly Dilema, says that if Ponta wins, Romania would no longer be a just state. He calls the prime minister a dangerous populist. "Not only because he lacks the necessary maturity and vision for the presidency, and has shown a poor economic record," Vasilescu said. "He is a master of propaganda and his moving his party to impose measures that will threaten the rule of law."

Democracy put to the test in Romania | Europe | DW.DE | 01.11.2014

Why are so many Europeans so suspicious of EU integration.
 
Why are so many Europeans so suspicious of EU integration.
Because the EU is not one country. It is 28 countries, many with very different cultures and history. Plus it isn't run in the interests of all countries equally but dominated by Germany which makes sure the organisation serves its own interests.
 
Romanian politics seems really interesting

How similar to Pakistan's feudals. What's your opinion on this, are these 'barons' really a problem or is it just political talk?


These barons are sucking the life out of the country ,they act exactly like medieval rulers on their domains:most public contracts are awarded to their associates,they control everything and leaking huge amounts of money in their pockets.

Take the latest case:a PSD baron was arrested for the illegal expropriation of 43.000 hectares of forested land to him and his buddies.The Romanian state was frauded with about 250 million euros.

Another case :Microsoft scandal...prejudice:

Another case:The Transylvanian motor highway...prejudice: 1 billion $

Another: EADS deal...prejudice: 650 million euros

And on,and on...this country is being robbed dry but in recent years the justice system started to roll:hundreds of officials are in prisons,hundreds are on trial,hundreds are cowering in fear.It's open season and i'm loving it !
 
Why are so many Europeans so suspicious of EU integration.


It depends on many cases.Take the recent row between Ponta and the EU: The liberalisation of gas prices ...The EU wants Romania to allign gas(gas which we mostly have from our resorces) prices to EU ones,Ponta still opposes this on a simple fact:You can't have the same prices of countries with 1500 euros minimum wage in Romania where that wage is 200 euros.It will kill us ! The bureaucrats in Bruxelles don't really seem to care.

Plus,we love democracy,freedom but we're still looking around and see that from a country that was producing this :

Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That was building whole rafinaries in the ME:

Banias Refinery - Oil4All

That had these in the making:

IAR 95 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We are now being reduced to barely manufacturing tractors.From 23 million down to 20 million citizens in 24 years.Democracy and all is good,but.......

When most of the Romanians one true wish ,periodically stated,is that they want ,them or their relatives,to come home instead of their self imposed exile in the West you know that thinghs are not good.5 million Romanians work in the West and they all want to come home,i've seen dozens of footages today,they lined up in huge lines in European countries to vote and they all said the same:"We want to come home,we miss home,but home has to be a better place."
 
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These barons are sucking the life out of the country ,they act exactly like medieval rulers on their domains:most public contracts are awarded to their associates,they control everything and leaking huge amounts of money in their pockets.

Take the latest case:a PSD baron was arrested for the illegal expropriation of 43.000 hectares of forested land to him and his buddies.The Romanian state was frauded with about 250 million euros.

Another case :Microsoft scandal...prejudice:

Another case:The Transylvanian motor highway...prejudice: 1 billion $

Another: EADS deal...prejudice: 650 million euros

And on,and on...this country is being robbed dry but in recent years the justice system started to roll:hundreds of officials are in prisons,hundreds are on trial,hundreds are cowering in fear.It's open season and i'm loving it !
Darn... that's a lot of corruption right there, similar Pakistan's feudals, though not as bad. Glad to hear that the Justice system has started working.
These barons seem like a classic case of 'sifarish' i.e using one's relations with politicians or government officials to do all sorts of corruption. The thing is, people need to know what kind of politicians they're voting for. They also need to know the value of their vote. This will all come as long as the justice system keeps busting the corrupt ones and the media keeps covering it properly.

I've been to Romania a couple of times, it doesn't look like people are too enthusiastic about politics, though maybe I was there at the wrong times, cold and quiet. I always found Romanian history and politics really interesting, stuck between superpowers, in the middle of two world wars and all. I'm curious to see how this will turn out, it'll be crucial, especially with the Ukraine crisis right next door. Best of luck to Romania, i'll try and follow the news so if you are sharing any articles etc, please do tag me.
 
Darn... that's a lot of corruption right there, similar Pakistan's feudals, though not as bad. Glad to hear that the Justice system has started working.
These barons seem like a classic case of 'sifarish' i.e using one's relations with politicians or government officials to do all sorts of corruption. The thing is, people need to know what kind of politicians they're voting for. They also need to know the value of their vote. This will all come as long as the justice system keeps busting the corrupt ones and the media keeps covering it properly.

I've been to Romania a couple of times, it doesn't look like people are too enthusiastic about politics, though maybe I was there at the wrong times, cold and quiet. I always found Romanian history and politics really interesting, stuck between superpowers, in the middle of two world wars and all. I'm curious to see how this will turn out, it'll be crucial, especially with the Ukraine crisis right next door. Best of luck to Romania, i'll try and follow the news so if you are sharing any articles etc, please do tag me.


Thanks for your sincere wishes and i'll keep you updated.
 
Current general mood in Romania in a nutshell:


General translation of the lyrics :

Title: We will be heard

What do we do with parents (priests)
They kicked out of the church all saints
No God is not so high
Cross for them only means a plus sign (money)

What do we do with the military
Mother crying, crying children, leaving Dad
Instead of quietly waiting for war
Who will defend us from us

We do not give up
Never, never
We always raise
Again and again

We do not give up
Even if it lasts a lifetime
We will rise again

What we do with the power (politicians)
Those who do not feel pain
To take your hands off our world
Hope is the last window

What we do with ours
We all expect that nonsense
To have politicians with style
No animals dressed in civilian

We do not give up
Never, never
We always raise
Again and again

We do not give up
Even if it lasts a lifetime
We rise again

Good, now that we wondered what remains to be done
That half the country is sold, beat on resources from the Danube to the Prut
I'm afraid to listen, if I talk to my ancestors'm ashamed to say who they are
Those who sell us, who are lying to us, those who we feel

Let me say my prayer in mind
And if we do it all, perhaps, in the end, we find out clearly what to do
Dress me in your love impenetrable
As it can offer a true soldier in this fight memorable

We do not give up
Never, never
We always raise
Again and again

We do not give up
Even if it lasts a lifetime
We rise again

We do not give up
Never, never
We always raise
Again and again

We do not give up
Even if it lasts a lifetime
We rise again

What we do with the truth
In it we hide the future
We stand here until you will not lie to us
What will you do when at last we will be heard
..
 
Because the EU is not one country. It is 28 countries, many with very different cultures and history. Plus it isn't run in the interests of all countries equally but dominated by Germany which makes sure the organisation serves its own interests.

Bro Germany is the by far Europe largest economic power, so of course they will have more say/influence in Europe than any other country. Nothing wrong/strange in that, just like the U.S is the world largest economic power and defacto supe power.
So as a union, we just have to try and work together to make sure that we at least a compromise and make decisions that serves at least all our interests to some extent(even though some big powers/country might get more from this decisions than other, but then again its always bound to happen). The E.U is a necessary evil for us all i believe and it has work rather well in serving European interests and making us all more relevant/powerful in the world.
 
'Iohannis has even been accused of being a German spy'

Huh......why is that? Dont get this point.:what:
 

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