Control and the Emptiness of Great Hopes

More than 36 years after the fall of communism, Romania is still governed by the same old forces, their successors and their creations, this commentary argues. The democratic system, it says, has not broken with the networks that once ran the country.

The people controlling today’s power structures are described as figures from the former Securitate and Communist Party, along with their heirs and associates. They operate behind the visible but deceptive label of the “System,” which, in the author’s view, keeps the past locked away, directs the present and is trying to seize the future. Its rival power factions continue to clash, but mainly over interests and objectives.

The commentary points to former President Emil Constantinescu, who publicly described himself as defeated by the “System.” It claims that all five Romanian presidents since 1989 were created, imposed, directed and removed by this supposedly all-powerful network.

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I am the boss of the System.

It sees a particular paradox in the current presidency. After one year in office, President Nicușor Dan has reportedly said he is “the boss of the System” and knows best what is happening in the country. Yet the public perception, according to the commentary, is the opposite: Dan appears to be the most manipulated and controlled of the five presidents. His public statements and conduct are presented as evidence, with the author accusing him of saying one thing one day and doing another the next.

The criticism extends across the political class. The commentary says every party that has governed Romania over the past 36 years has been shaped by the “System,” including newer parties created in its laboratories. It describes politicians as puppets, condemns open corruption and a politically controlled judiciary, and accuses some political figures of serving Moscow. It ends by portraying the country as chaotic and anarchic, with education at its lowest level.

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Defeated by the System.