Page 46 - bne magazine March 2017 issue

46 I Cover story bne March 2017
of which is owned by a PSD member. President Klaus Iohannis later criticised the interior ministry for the way it dealt with the situation, claiming the minis- try had advance information on groups preparing to “break the rally”.
The following day, protesters returned to the square carrying flowers to signal their peaceful intent, and relations with the police have since been cordial. Not only that, but volunteers offer water and hot drinks to protesters and pick up any litter in the square as they depart.
While there have been smaller counter- demonstrations outside the Cotroceni Palace, the official residence of President Iohannis who has endorsed the protests,
five ministers. The PSD had campaigned on a platform of tax cuts and pay rises for public sector workers, which successfully distracted voters from the corruption scandals surrounding Dragnea and other top party officials such as former prime minister Viktor Ponta.
Instead, the mass protests showed how Romanians have embraced the anti-cor- ruption fight, and how determined many Romanians are to defend the steps taken so far and to prevent the country from backsliding to the dark days of the 1990s when official corruption was allowed
to run rampant. “We want non-corrupt politicians, as we have been tricked. We want transparency, credible people with solid principles and values,” one protester
democracy here, we can freely express our opinions,” a protester told bne.
Another claimed that, “People abroad have seen that a group of people gathered with flags and banners which contain witty and funny texts to support their ideal, in order to have dignity in their country, in order to be able to work and be rewarded for their work in their country, and not to be forced to leave it because of poverty and desperation.”
Romania’s key international partners including the EU, the US and Germany have all spoken out against the govern- ment’s attempts to undermine the anti- corruption programme, giving further courage to the protesters. “I definitely think that the protests are a positive sign for Romania and demonstrate the com- mitment of many Romanians to democ- racy and the anti-corruption fight,” says Maximilien Lambertson, an analyst for Europe at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “It is also telling that the protests are not aligned with any given party and are non-ideological. Romanians want
a better functioning government that respects the rule of law – hardly a con- troversial demand and certainly a posi- tive one if politicians heed their calls.”
In addition, developments in Romania are being closely watched by countries within Southeast Europe, most of which lag behind in the corruption fight. In Bulgaria, there were fears that if the Romanian government successfully neu- tralised the DNA, their own government could be emboldened to take similar measures to allow official corruption. In Moldova, Transparency International has warned that the bill on fiscal amnesty currently being considered by the parlia- ment would grant immunity to corrupt officials and has the potential to spark similar protests to those in Romania.
Still on the streets
As of mid-February, the protests were still continuing daily in Bucha- rest, though their size has dwindled since the government announced it was revoking the decree. However, the affair appears far from over. The thousands who continue to flock to Victory Square do so because they do
“Before being president of the bank I am a father and I care about my children's future and the country in which they live”
the mood in Romania is overwhelmingly sympathetic towards the protesters. Iohannis himself has become more visible and gained some popularity through his support for the protests. Meanwhile, the most recent polls show a decline in sup- port for the PSD, which won Romania’s latest general election in December 2016.
The strength and persistence of the protests have clearly taken the govern- ment by surprise. Analysts speculate that Grindeanu’s cabinet had planned to qui- etly pass the legislation just one month after the election and during the coldest month of the year, in the hope that it would be long forgotten by the time the next election rolled around. Instead, the government was forced to back down, announcing on February 5 that it had revoked the decree.
Government officials may have believed the PSD’s recent victory meant Roma- nians had tired of the fight against corruption spearheaded by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), which in 2015 indicted over 1,250 defendants for high- and medium-level corruption crimes, including one prime minister and
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told bne IntelliNews. Another commented that [Victory Square] “is the most honest place in Bucharest right now”.
The demonstration by the protesters
of the “power of the street” to act as a check on the excesses of government has also resonated around the world. The attempts by new US President Donald Trump to undermine US institutions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo- gan’s plans to establish an executive presidency with sweeping powers,
the “illiberal democracy” espoused by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and gains for far-right parties across Europe have all raised alarms that lib- eral democracy is being eroded. It is also hoped that the experience of Romania might encourage other corruption- plagued European countries like next- door Bulgaria and Moldova to press on with their efforts to stamp out graft.
The idea that the protests show the strength of democracy in Romania, and the commitment of its people to fighting corruption is gathering force. “I think the protests have given Romania a posi- tive image abroad, suggesting there is