Protests against Romanian Political Class

Anti-system protests have spread across Romania, and the participants say they want the entire political class reformed.

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Corina Cristea, 05.11.2015, 14:23

Tuesday night’s large-scale protest in downtown Bucharest, in which more than 20,000 people demanded the resignation of PM Victor Ponta, of Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and of Cristian Popescu Piedone, the mayor of Bucharest’s fourth district, viewed as the representatives of a political elite blamed for the death of tens of young people, did not go unanswered.

Explaining that it would have been a mistake to ignore the discontent of the people, the Prime Minister and his entire cabinet stepped down, followed by a similar decision from the mayor of Bucharest fourth district where the deadly nightclub fire took place. But the thousands of anti-system protesters in Bucharest and other large cities in the country went back to the streets and say they will continue to do so until the entire political class is reformed.

“What we want is to tell the entire political class that they are corrupt and that we want a change. We want the next government not to make the same mistakes that the cabinets of the past 25 years have repeated so many times. We hope this is a wake-up call and a challenge for all politicians, we want them to pay attention to the voice of the people.”

“I think this was the last straw, the one that broke the camel’s back. And it is not about guilt alone, about who’s to blame for all these deaths, it’s about responsibility, including political responsibility.”

Demonstrators shouted against the system (“All parties, the same filth”), against the President, whom they told his only chance is to choose the right person as the next prime minister, and against Patriarch Daniel, whom they criticize for not having showed up on the night of the tragedy to comfort people.

The rallies spread across the country, and some 35,000 people are estimated to have gathered in Timisoara, Cluj, Brasov, Targu Jiu, Iasi, Alba Iulia, Miercurea-Ciuc, Ploiesti, Braila and Constanta, as well as abroad, in Paris and London.

Analysts see these demonstrations as a proof of mature and aware civic engagement, particularly among the young. This is not so much a political movement, they say, but rather a spontaneous reaction to the young people who died on Friday night to shake Romanians out of their indifference and inactivity.