Acquired by the mirage of the anti-system candidate, more and more of the future candidates for the position of president adopts a critical language to the authorities, hoping that they will attract as many votes. Sociologist Remus Stefureac believes that this type of discourse tends to hide the lack of a serious program, as in the case of Călin Georgescu.
Elena Lasconi was declared the only anti-system candidate photo inquam Photos / Octav Ganea
The unexpected success that Călin Georgescu had in the first round of the presidential elections, when, beyond the interference of Russia, managed to exploit the dissatisfaction of the Romanians through an anti-system radical position, did not go unnoticed. And if until now, in previous elections, parties like gold and USR have posed in anti-system groups, the fond spirit, doubled by a critical discourse on the authorities, becomes more and more fashionable. Thus, when there are two and a half months until the presidential elections in May, future candidates are increasingly tempted to approach this tactic.
Conscious of the increasing dissatisfaction of the population and the erosion of the coalition in government, the future candidates are trying to notice as much by acidic criticisms. The last one entered the race for Cotroceni, Mayor Nicușor Dan, has always had an anti-system speech, and now he is trying to take him to the next level. In skill, he rely in topics insufficiently exploited by the other candidates, starting from the concerns for the environment and continuing with the problems noted for a good part of the electorate.
Although anti-system as well as Călin Georgescu, Nicușor Dan is clearly delimited by it and addresses pro-Western orientation voters.
The mayor of the capital stated that it is addressed “USR supporters, but also to those who have sympathies for other political parties and especially to people who have been tired of all political parties.” However, the mayor claimed that he would like to have the support of pro-Western parties, a support that he enjoyed before in the case of winning both mayor.
Nicușor Dan disturb the waters in the USR, Ponta agitates the PSD
The appearance of Nicușor Dan caused the reaction of another candidate who claims to be anti-system, Elena Lasconi. She wanted to specify that it is “the only anti-system candidate“And he claimed that he had won the elections in case the presidential election would not have been canceled. “S.The cushion is not prepared, the political class is not prepared for honest people ”she said. At the same time, in the context of the fight on the USR electorate, the party leader launched several attacks on Nicușor Dan, which brought problems in the party.
Victor Ponta could enter the race, which begins to disturb the waters inside the PSD, a party that validated the candidacy of Crin Antonescu, the candidate of the ruling coalition. Victor Ponta claims that he is anti-system and that the public is addressed to the excesses of the coalition in government. Aware that he will not have the support of the party from which he comes, he tries to convince more and more social-democrats to join him. Ponta stated that he would come with a “Radical project ”but also that “A single announced candidate, Călin Georgescu, talks about radical change ”while “The others are the people of the system. ” From the position of prime minister, Ponta was also excluded from the party in 2017. Now, the former leader again risks the position of member in the party and was dismissed from the position of honorary counselor of the prime minister.
Regarding USR, according to some sources in the party, there are problems especially in the branch of Sector 1. The former mayor of Sector 1, Clotilde Armand, went public with a statement of support for Nicușor Dan, criticizing Elena Lasconi . Armand wrote on Facebook that the position of Elena Lasconi, who had previously criticized it on a television show Nicușor Dan, “It is not the official position of the USR and they are just its opinions ”. Clotilde Armand also stated that he speaks on behalf of his colleagues “I do not share the vision of Mrs. Lasconi.”
The French reaction caused a real storm, and Elena Lasconi already announced that she will request her exclusion from the party, considering a sabotage of her election campaign.
Why are the candidates delimited
Sociologist Remus Stefureac, director of INScop, explained for “Adevărul” that this kind of generic approach can be attributed to several candidates who have won the previous presidential elections, because “”A certain type of voters are also led by this type of rhetoric ”.
“It is a fierce trick against voters and is generally a type of speech that does not bring anyone to anyone and is used to mislead voters and talk less about concrete themes. (…) Perhaps hides an inability, perhaps, of the candidates, at this moment, to say concretely what they want to do as future presidents, how, only by arguing rhetorically I do not think it helps anyone ”, Remus Stefureac pointed out.
According to the sociologist, the current situation of Romania should bring concrete speeches regarding how the country would lead the candidates and not the approaches so far that have the role of gathering electoral capital.
“Passing through this trauma for our democracy, the cancellation of the elections, the resignation of a president, it may be the case for all the candidates to respect their voters more, to respect this country, the population, and beyond the easy strategies of the vote, By inventing concepts, which do not apply to them obviously, it would be better to talk in detail about what they can actually do as future presidents, as they intend to collaborate with other state institutions to implement their projects. And the measures, because otherwise we will have the same completely empty content commitments ”.
