Romanian Election Campaign Aggressive, Theatrical - Political Science Expert

De Waele told radio RFI Romania that the local election campaign in Romania clearly proves the country’s political scene is not calm and stable.

 

He noted that all political parties are stirred by inside turmoil and personal conflicts, and the voter cannot find himself in this “political theater".

 

"Moreover, differences between candidates’ electoral programs are very small. They are all early identical. We come to vote for that candidate whose tie we like more or who is less dishonest than the others. Ideologically speaking, there is no real project for Bucharest in this campaign. And local elections are very important because they relate to citizens’ everyday life, to transports and public works. Candidates don’t speak openly about all these aspects," de Waele said.

 

Asked whether there is any clear distinction in discourse between the left and the right, the professor said Romania has no such distinctions yet, which “shows the gap between politics and people’s lives".

 

He considers the leftist social democrats don’t have more leftist ideas and proposals than center-right liberals or democrat liberals, or any other parties.

 

De Waele also said election posters look like commercial ads.

 

"When I got to Bucharest, I mistook election posters for advertisements. There is very little difference between propaganda and ads selling detergent, for instance. It’s hard to tell whether the lady in the poster is selling a political program or detergent, or whether the gentleman in the poster is advertising a car or is running for mayor," de Waele said, adding the campaign lacks imagination and ideas.

 

The professor explained the tendency to vote for political characters rather than political programs saying there is no real ideological offer and political parties don’t represent true interests of society.