Years and years of dirty destructive politics have turned Romanians into passive citizens. There was no point in voting anymore, as if everyone turned to Mark Twain's words: If voting made any difference, they wouldn't let us do it. All politicians were just as corrupt, annoying and hypocritical.The first round of the 2014 elections (November 2) had two finalists: Victor Ponta, the country's Prime Minister, named by President Traian Basescu himself. The other was the one rejected by Basescu -- Klaus Iohannis, mayor of Sibiu (Transylvanian town) for 14 years, an ethnic German born and raised in Romania.
Two Radically Different Human Types
A journalist wrote, "Iohannis is everything Ponta isn't." During the following two weeks, people could see the huge differences between the two: Ponta was aggressive, was lying and turning around every righteous accusation. He avoid making the necessary changes that were in his power when Iohannis urged him to do so. He was interrupting his speech, not keeping his promises and generally being rude. The German was considerate, respectful, discreet and had dignity.
The Diaspora
There are millions of Romanians working and living abroad. Some say they are about 3m. Hundreds of thousands of these are in big European cities like London, Paris, Berlin, Turin, Madrid, Rome etc. In these cities, the voting locations were too few and were closed too early on November 2 for everyone to get in and vote. Loud protests followed, in Romania and abroad. Solidarity was finally born.
When he was asked about this disaster, Ponta didn't accept voting as a human right.
This whole scandalous situation sparked revolutionary thoughts. The diaspora was ready to record the events of the next round and spread them on social networks for people 'at home' to see them. Ponta promised we would get a fair election process and that everyone abroad would be able to vote this round.
Ponta Digging His Own Grave
Ponta promised to fire his men if the next voting round wouldn't go well ( = if people still queue without hope). His men promised they'd send more money abroad, but money was not an issue. It was all about time: voters spent way too much time waiting. The personnel at embassies and other such places were deliberately slow.
During televised confrontations, Ponta also showed his true character. It was a source of disgust in millions of people. The #puiemonta hastag was born and it became increasingly popular (it is a funny way of saying, "suck it, Ponta"). Intellectuals and artists rallied against him and tried to educate the population.
Unfortunately for Ponta and his party, many genuine videos surfaced and showed the state of the nation: the scandalous situation abroad, people's revolt and the horrible misinformation in isolated parts of the countryside. Some peasants didn't even know that voting means there are two candidates to choose from. They were simply 'taught' by the mayor or the priest to "choose Ponta or his symbol" on that damn paper.
The power of the Internet was underestimated.As people started posting with the hashtags and haring massively, it became obvious that the Ponta government is doing its best to prevent a fair voting.
Loads of people who stayed at home during the first round were now angry enough to go out and cast their vote. This is how Ponta lost. He never believed there could actually be smart people who would see his treacherous ways and stand against.
The 'Common Sense Revolution'
Iohannis won because he resonated with many Romanians. Those who used to be passive and pessimistic found a new courage to express themselves and to fight against the lies. It was an awakening. Their clever, eye-opening messages starting pouring on Facebook.
Iohannis was the successful and beloved mayor of Sibiu (European Cultural Capital in 2007 and vastly different from the rest of the country in a very good way), elected again and again with percentages of over 70% and even over 80%. People knew that and took it as undeniable proof that he is a capable leader. They already had the proof.
Beyond being capable, Iohannis was also a man of a different breed: composed, cool, gentleman-ish, of great dignity, courteous, righteous, empathic, rational, mannered.
Facebook Warriors of Justice
Thank God we had the Internet and they didn't cut it down!
Organised under hashtags, all the illegal moves spotted that day would be publicly shared and seen on Facebook.
Sadly (and unbelievably), the Romanians in foreign countries were once again troubled. The voting process was not improved as promised. Video proof of the real situation was available on Facebook, coming from countless frustrated voters. Ponta, in spite of his promise, did his best to compromise this once again.
Weto see a different face of Romanians. The warriors for justice. They did what was in their power: they went to cast their vote, humble but determined. It took them many hours (on occasions even 13) and loads of coffee to go through the cold wet weather and reach the desk. The mockery was obvious, yet they persisted and didn't become aggressive.
The treacherous promises and these foreign events showed undecided people that they'd better go vote against Ponta. Yes, much of it was 'anti-Ponta', because not everyone can fully trust Iohannis. We cannot see the future or know everything happening behind the curtains. What we could see was what happened during the past weeks and during that Sunday especially. This is what got tens of thousands of Romanians out in the streets and made many undecided ones pick up the stamp and cast their vote.
People informed one another. Truth won. The true meaning of democracy was finally seen. People recorded and photographed undeniable evidence of fraud during the elections, and it was all against Ponta's party. There was no complaint concerning Iohannis's.
What Happened on Sunday, November 16
I did not believe in voting, but the way Ponta's party tried so hard to falsify the votes spoke volumes. "Perhaps there is something real in it, since they're struggling so hard to get more on their plate..."
Ponta and his men used not only propaganda to convince uneducated and isolated people, but also FRAUD. Deceased citizens' names were found on their lists. People who did not come to vote were 'replaced' with a fake signature by their men.
And then... the buses. On an awfully rainy and cold November day, suddenly hundreds of citizens decided to go on a trip! A trip to the most plain, uninteresting places in the country. It was indeed called 'tourism'. In fact, what was happening was that countless buses would take brainwashed people to various voting locations along the road. They would vote on the available 'special lists', meant for those who don't reside in that specific place. This is how the non-attractive county of Teleorman got to have a 263% voters presence, when the country average was of 50-60%!
Many were shocked at how much Iohannis had recovered. He was 10% behind, but eventually got ahead and won, even before the diaspora results were calculated. He eventually recovered about 14% and won the elections. 6.2 million votes for Iohannis, a record for Romania.
He has German origins and is a Protestant, but he is much more of a Romanian and a Christian than his opponent, who even threatened priests and their families and who used popular Romanian saints to promote his deceitful messages.
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