The competence and studies of ministers have marked the activity of Romanian governments over time. From plagiarism or omissions in CVs, several members of the Government have been targeted by scandals in recent years. The most recent case is that of Ionuț Mosteanu, who resigned from the position of Minister of Defense due to irregularities in his CV related to his studies.
Former prime ministers or members of the Government have been targeted in recent years by suspicions of plagiarism or irregularities regarding studies. Beyond the poor preparation of the state leaders, analysts say that a problem is the lack of transparency and the double discourse, especially in the conditions where some do exactly what they criticize in others. Ionuț Mosteanu resigned after irregularities regarding studies were found in his CV. Previously, in 2021, when another member of the Government at that time had similar problems, Ionuț Moşteanu stated: “We decided, together with our colleagues from the National Bureau, to call Florin Roman to Government Hour in Parliament. We will submit a paper in this sense, which will be on the agenda of the Permanent Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies to call Florin Roman next Monday, to explain to us how the digitization and research of Romania can be led by a minister with a problem of ethics and academic integrity. We all know the discussion about Mr. Roman’s plagiarism“.
Are the CVs of government leaders still relevant?
“The problem is not related to competence, but to sincerity and transparency” – Cristian Pîrvulescu, political scientist
Political scientist Cristian Pîrvulescu explains for Adevărul that “the problem is not one of competence, but of sincerity and transparency. In other words, no one denies that what matters in the case of a minister is not the university he graduated from, but his political ability. That is the rule in a democracy. There are MPs who have no education, nor does it matter and there is no correlation between education and political ability. Instead, the fact that there is inconsistency in a CV, which is most of the time the result of a lack of attention, it creates problems. It creates problems and this is where Mr. Moșteanu’s problem arose.”
There are cases in recent history of politicians who did not finish their studies, the political scientist points out, giving the example of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Pier Beregovoa, the prime minister of France in the 90s: “There is nothing that forces it to a certain level. Here we are talking about transparency, we are talking about honesty. It is not about skills. Mr. Moșteanu’s political skills can be contested by some or others, only he had a position within the party that he consolidated over time and that is the only thing that matters. It is about two types of authority. It is about the authority of the specialist, it is called epistemic authority and it is political authority. The two, epistemic and political only rarely and exceptionally meet in the same person”.
However, the CVs of leaders remain relevant. “We start from the premise of good faith. We start from the premise that someone writes in their CV what they have done. Not that he invents. And I mean it’s quite difficult to track down a resume, but it’s not impossible. After all, if someone has misled, it shows“, Cristian Pârvulescu points out.
Double talk, “a feature of politics”
The double discourse will never disappear, it is, if you like, a constant of politics from all time – Valeriu Turcan, former presidential adviser
The discussion related to the studies of political leaders is mandatory, former presidential adviser Valeriu Turcan points out, especially in the context in which recent years have brought examples that have left a stain on state institutions: “The double talk will never disappear, it is, if you want, a constant of politics from all time, but there is a species of politician with an unprecedented tupeu in Romania. The kind who only took 8-10 classes for real, who knows he didn’t go to college, who can’t even find his degrees from some faculties that weren’t even accredited at the time of his degree, and who claims to hold positions only because once there he can solve the criminal or economic problems of those who support him for that position. Do you think that such a blackmailable politician will not always execute what he signs? Such a politician represents a maximum danger for Romania and the discussion related to the studies of political leaders is mandatory in a Western-type democracy. The more transparency we have, the more we reduce the potential for high-level blackmail.”
“Education and professional experience remain extremely important. Mistakes will be made by all politicians, but the uneducated stand out very quickly. Vulnerabilities in the educational background will always be able to be used by political opponents here in the country, but most importantly, it seems to me that they guarantee that the minister will not succeed in doing much in possible international negotiations, where experienced people immediately read you not only problems of professional behavior, but also those related to the CV. It is an illusion that I have could fool someone outside of Romania”, Valeriu Turcan also points out.
The controversies surrounding the Executive
After Ionuț Moșteanu resigned from his position, due to irregularities in his CV, the situation of the spokesperson of the Government, Ioana Dogioiu, was also noted, who mentioned in her CV that she obtained her degree at the University of Bucharest. In reality, his studies were at the Ecological University of Timișoara.
In this context, Sorin Simion Meici, an old liberal from Timișoara, launched a series of revelations that raise questions about the academic training of students at the Ecological University. “Actually, the Ecological University was a good cash cow. A profitable business. The vast majority of students were people who had financial availability, but who had not managed to pass the entrance exam to a state college”he writes on Facebook.
And her recent appointment to the SRR board has drawn controversy. despite objections from the public space, Nadina Ioana Dogioiu was recently voted to occupy a position in this council, continuing to be the spokesperson of the Government of Romania. Such approaches were criticized by Ioana Dogioiu as a journalist.
