I have a romanian work colleague who was absolutely shocked when the tally came around of the election. He had never heard of this guy. And supporters that he talked with give the usual modern...
I have a romanian work colleague who was absolutely shocked when the tally came around of the election. He had never heard of this guy. And supporters that he talked with give the usual modern russian religious/propaganda talk. "The west take all our money", "The west will make the gays invade us"(?!??), "He was chosen by god", "The west will conscript us and send us to die in Ukraine", etc.
Even if Georgescu does not does not become president this time, the seed is sown and will be hard to get rid of. I really hope all democratic governments at the very least push for proper and deep education on source criticism and reflection on how we absorb information.
Even assuming they do (which indeed they should), isn't this a process that would (sadly) take decades until the actual results of this process are reflected in a significant part of the...
I really hope all democratic governments at the very least push for proper and deep education on source criticism and reflection on how we absorb information.
Even assuming they do (which indeed they should), isn't this a process that would (sadly) take decades until the actual results of this process are reflected in a significant part of the population? I mean, as I understand it, you're mostly referring to the "school" system, which mostly applies to the youths.
Absolutely. But the internet isn't going away within the next decade. Really any shorter term solution, restriction and regulation, is usually rejected as authoritarian by many, whether right or...
Absolutely. But the internet isn't going away within the next decade. Really any shorter term solution, restriction and regulation, is usually rejected as authoritarian by many, whether right or wrong. Regardless of short term solutions, democracies need to plant their own seeds for the long term future. Now, if not yesterday.
Furthermore, it's also a surefire way to turn previously unsubstantiated conspiracy theories into uncontroversial facts. A "turns out, there really was a plan" moment that serves no one well.
usually rejected as authoritarian by many
Furthermore, it's also a surefire way to turn previously unsubstantiated conspiracy theories into uncontroversial facts. A "turns out, there really was a plan" moment that serves no one well.
If anyone here knows the writers of this timeline, I get that they wanted to kick of the December season dramatically to make sure the finale of 2024 will be epic, but can you tell them that...
If anyone here knows the writers of this timeline, I get that they wanted to kick of the December season dramatically to make sure the finale of 2024 will be epic, but can you tell them that they're overdoing it?
Sincerely,
My heart. Who could do with less stress.
...
On a serious note, I do hope that this'll mean that Romania can get actual elections without the Kremlins interference. We really need to stop underestimating just how much Putin and his cronies are trying to destabilize the EU, and the west in general.
Strong agree on both parts! This does seem like a best case approach given where we’re at, at least: recognise the threat, air what’s going on loudly and clearly, and actually fucking react rather...
Strong agree on both parts! This does seem like a best case approach given where we’re at, at least: recognise the threat, air what’s going on loudly and clearly, and actually fucking react rather than just shrugging and letting it happen as if it’s business as usual. Small though it is in the scheme of things, this actually gives me more hope than I’ve felt in the last month.
The news is not very hopeful. This is the latest abusive decision in a long line of such decisions, taken by a politically motivated & appointed court. I call it abusive because there is no legal...
The news is not very hopeful. This is the latest abusive decision in a long line of such decisions, taken by a politically motivated & appointed court. I call it abusive because there is no legal foundation whatsoever for this decision. Here are some more facts:
there are two main parties in Romania, that are incidentally highly corrupt; some judges are appointed from one of these parties, some from the other, and some by our current (corrupt) president
the same court has decided to recount all the votes cast worldwide for this election, with no tangible evidence of voting fraud
the same court has already validated the same elections that they have now decided to cancel
this court has no jurisdiction (edit: legal basis?) for cancelling elections
the same court validated other elections for which there was strong evidence of voting fraud, fraud carried out in favour of the two parties from which all of the judges are appointed
The only reason this time the decision is kind of good is because it prevents a pro-Russia candidate from becoming the face of Romania.
But it doesn’t change the fact that it is another abusive decision of a rogue, corrupt, politically charged court which has ultimate authority; and it sets a very ugly precedent for Romania’s future elections.
Perhaps I used the wrong word. I meant to say “legal basis” - they should have not validated the elections in the first place, and AFAIK there’s no law or article in the constitution that...
Perhaps I used the wrong word. I meant to say “legal basis” - they should have not validated the elections in the first place, and AFAIK there’s no law or article in the constitution that describes when or why election results can be annulled.
They say that Russian interference on social media changed too many minds. Therefore, the voters chose incorrectly. I don't see any feasible fix in a short timeframe. Even if they somehow...
They say that Russian interference on social media changed too many minds. Therefore, the voters chose incorrectly.
I don't see any feasible fix in a short timeframe. Even if they somehow magically managed to block Russian accounts from reaching Romanians during the leadup to the redo, unless it's postponed long enough to be a clear power grab by the incumbents, the desires to vote for Georgescu won't go away in time.
I have a romanian work colleague who was absolutely shocked when the tally came around of the election. He had never heard of this guy. And supporters that he talked with give the usual modern russian religious/propaganda talk. "The west take all our money", "The west will make the gays invade us"(?!??), "He was chosen by god", "The west will conscript us and send us to die in Ukraine", etc.
Even if Georgescu does not does not become president this time, the seed is sown and will be hard to get rid of. I really hope all democratic governments at the very least push for proper and deep education on source criticism and reflection on how we absorb information.
Even assuming they do (which indeed they should), isn't this a process that would (sadly) take decades until the actual results of this process are reflected in a significant part of the population? I mean, as I understand it, you're mostly referring to the "school" system, which mostly applies to the youths.
Absolutely. But the internet isn't going away within the next decade. Really any shorter term solution, restriction and regulation, is usually rejected as authoritarian by many, whether right or wrong. Regardless of short term solutions, democracies need to plant their own seeds for the long term future. Now, if not yesterday.
Furthermore, it's also a surefire way to turn previously unsubstantiated conspiracy theories into uncontroversial facts. A "turns out, there really was a plan" moment that serves no one well.
If anyone here knows the writers of this timeline, I get that they wanted to kick of the December season dramatically to make sure the finale of 2024 will be epic, but can you tell them that they're overdoing it?
Sincerely,
My heart. Who could do with less stress.
...
On a serious note, I do hope that this'll mean that Romania can get actual elections without the Kremlins interference. We really need to stop underestimating just how much Putin and his cronies are trying to destabilize the EU, and the west in general.
Strong agree on both parts! This does seem like a best case approach given where we’re at, at least: recognise the threat, air what’s going on loudly and clearly, and actually fucking react rather than just shrugging and letting it happen as if it’s business as usual. Small though it is in the scheme of things, this actually gives me more hope than I’ve felt in the last month.
The news is not very hopeful. This is the latest abusive decision in a long line of such decisions, taken by a politically motivated & appointed court. I call it abusive because there is no legal foundation whatsoever for this decision. Here are some more facts:
The only reason this time the decision is kind of good is because it prevents a pro-Russia candidate from becoming the face of Romania.
But it doesn’t change the fact that it is another abusive decision of a rogue, corrupt, politically charged court which has ultimate authority; and it sets a very ugly precedent for Romania’s future elections.
If the CCR has no jurisdiction to cancel the election, then who has it?
Perhaps I used the wrong word. I meant to say “legal basis” - they should have not validated the elections in the first place, and AFAIK there’s no law or article in the constitution that describes when or why election results can be annulled.
They say that Russian interference on social media changed too many minds. Therefore, the voters chose incorrectly.
I don't see any feasible fix in a short timeframe. Even if they somehow magically managed to block Russian accounts from reaching Romanians during the leadup to the redo, unless it's postponed long enough to be a clear power grab by the incumbents, the desires to vote for Georgescu won't go away in time.