Democracy wins through Facebook: Romanians Electing Klaus Iohannis for President

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. 

We Want Kings! On the Fascination for Monarchs (Richard III, Aragorn, Thorin)

by N. C. Wyeth

Royalty has always been impressive, and not all due to the fairy-tales hailing from medieval times. It tends to go beyond the opulence of royal families and the attractive high social status. Even the power factor itself doesn't fully justify the fascination, as we can see there is more to it. Presidents, statesmen and politicians today certainly do not have the same aura as a king, nor could ever inspire the same sympathy. 

People in need of true leaders

Even those who would never admit it still need them. Not to be controlled by them, but to be inspired. A loyal, caring but fierce, righteous and firm leader easily becomes a role model. For this reason, people have usually loved kings - those of older times mostly - and still do. Have a look at the quest for Richard III's grave. Many had even donated money to support the archeological dig. The people were there, for a king dead long ago, a king who was vilified. As the findings were made public in February 2013, enthusiasts from all over the world knew a renewed interest in ancient British royalty. It was fascinating. Moreover, it was not about him being a presumed murderer (there is nothing unusual in that, considering his era and status), not about the discovery itself even, because it could simply be reduced to a skeleton found underneath a parking place. It was about having found someone important from those times, someone who ruled and fought.

Warrior kings

King Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)

Unfortunately, the days of true monarchs are gone. There is no way to compare an 'office ruler' to a sovereign who would take his horse and sword, charge the army and go into battle. Those sovereigns of the past were ready to die - and for a noble cause. To this aspect let us add the values they used to embody and profess. Kings, unlike state leaders nowadays, based their rule on certain ethics. Unless we are talking about tyrants, they were quite charming, captivating, awe-inspiring, courageous.

What do we have left today?

The history passionates may not feel completely deserted, because they can easily take refuge into history books and contemplate what once was. Nevertheless, this could hardly be a universal solution to our hunger for kingly values. Luckily, for the rest of us there are the books - the fiction ones especially. Also, there are the movies. It seems that, wherever we look, the best stories are those involving royalty and perhaps some war, too. 

Kings in movies and the people's reaction nowadays

Prince/crownless king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Without a doubt, they absolutely love them, plain to see. Fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien and now director Peter Jackson have been milking this frantically. They created fascinating monarch figures, addictive even. (The Game of Thrones is not far from that, either).

Pop culture has been invaded by long-haired, more or less bearded, armed kings and princes - characters the world once thought to be just relics, incompatible with our times. For the disbelievers, there is always available evidence online of the legacy of Aragorn Elessar, to give the most prominent example. More recently, another warrior king claimed the spotlight. As of December 2012, when the first film of The Hobbit trilogy got on screen, Thorin Oakenshield quickly gathered an army of thousands of followers. The character, although invested with traits that weren't supposed to attract sympathy, surpassed all expectations and became a detached favorite of the crowds. Handsome, incredibly daring and courageous, fighting for honor, loyal, caring for his kin, proud, determined, rugged, aware, this noble hero enraptured viewers in a way rarely seen before.

Kings with all their might, even with their burdens, turmoil and failures, embody everything that many of us find fascinating. Some may have forgotten, some may be denying it, but there is a longing for all of their kingly traits, for their rare qualities. Those like me are fully confessing it: we feel that the world has never been in a greater need of righteous kings than it is now. 

Looking King Richard III in the Face

On February 5th, The Richard III Society officially unveiled the facial reconstruction of the English king, after having assured the skeleton found in Leicester was his.

The monarch died aged 32 in the Battle of Bosworth, and no contemporary portrait had survived. The existing postmortem ones invested him with less than flattering features, now to be proven wrong.

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

It has certainly been a great adventure, this chase for King Richard III. As the skeleton found under a parking lot in Leicester was finally confirmed to be the king's, through DNA tests and matching with the descendants. To the identification process also contributed the battle wounds evidence.

The facial reconstruction was in no way aided by any of the portraits, except for when determining the colors and the fashion. The result revealed was stunning: not only that we can state that Richard III was a handsome monarch but, although features like his nose and prominent chin were existing in portrayals as well, the reality put his enemies to shame. History is written by the victors, as we know. Once again, it is being confirmed to us. In Richard III's case, those who came to rule after his reign did their best to invest him with flaws and create a mean appearance. Centuries after, their scheming turned against them, finally. Richard looks noble, kind, serene and handsome. It may seem like an unscientific approach to make statements based on physical features, but the leader of the project, Philippa Langley, didn't censor that herself. It is a natural reaction to do so, perhaps stemming from a long experience of seeing physical features as matching the ones of the psyche.

By all means, the most touching part about his appears to be this: that thousands, or rather millions of people get to look Richard III in the eye after so many centuries, that we can all see his face right now, as it was back then. And what do we see? A human, not a monster. It is interesting how, among the first reporters and scientists, many got to discuss his features, in an attempt to draw the man's character from his physical appearance. It seems that we, humans, cannot resist this. It is like an irresistible temptation to start observing one's facial features and make a whole profile based on that. 

Killed on August 22nd, 1485, Richard III could never be fully condemned for any atrocity, not even with the modern investigation techniques. Moreover, he did not have a wretched arm or a hunch back, since he only developed scoliosis, which only causes the spine to form a sideways curvature and uneven shoulders. He made donations to the poor, and he wanted the throne like any other heir would.

To the others, the Richard III Society had been just a bunch of fanatics lost in silly medieval dreams and defending these - with fanaticism, of course.These detractors might have never heard of Schliemann and his Troy...