PostCommunist, NeoEuropean elections: some thoughts on Romanian local elections

I've been living in Romania since last February, trying, amongst other things, to understand national political system, ideology, civic culture... It's quite complicated (and risky) to draw opinions in any country social life, being new, being an outsider. Anyhow...

This Sunday (1st June) were local elections (first round, second round when needed, as happened in Bucharest, will be held on 15th June); national elections will be held in Autumn.

That means that I have suffered a colourful elections in acity split in 6 municipalities, everyone with its mayor, plus a general mayor to be elected. Imagine that one side of the Thames is ruled by one chap, and the other side by other... That's Bucharest. Now, imagine you have to decide on the future of the bus that links both riversides... That's Bucharest.

Anyway... Colourful: 7-8 parties with enough money to campaign around, with coulourful posters (red, three types of red, a brigt yellow, light blue...). Political programmes? I couldn't find real proposals on their webpages: all candidates belonged to the "I'm not going to steal like them, I'm green, I'm near you" party. A colourful political circus. By the wayk, if you want to meet the clown, I recommend you a wiki-reading: Gigi Becali

Meanwhile the actor in the construction playfield where I'm currently involved professionally where quiet but moving: either getting their projects signed before change, or waiting for the goddammit elections to see some movement in all the projects that had ben paralized since February-March. That's usual local and national politics, by the way, no typical Romanian here.

So here we are: 1st of June ended, new mayors here, new mandates for old ones there, second round stand byes now and then... In the news, a lot of data reading, some scandal (punctual poll problems) that seemed bigger on TV as they repeated it all over and over again. Low rate of political analysis, appart from some Traian Basescu (President) vs. Calin Popescu (Prime Minister) never ending discussion. So, without any local commentator I trust yet (blame my ignorance), I'm still left on my own in this.

So, let's back to the data, at least one clear data. National electoral turnout: 46,59%. Bucharest electoral turnout: less than 35%.

I'm not boring you with theories on first-rate elections and second-rate elections... I will just tell you that I was the most surprised on such a low participation, and the lack of reaction on such a low participation, that must be thus considered as normal here. Either Romanians doesn't think on local elections as first-rate, important ones, or they doesn't feel any implication in the system... or both.

I only know that such a result would be a great scandal in Spain, and I hope that not only in Spain, but in some other countries... Here it isn't.

PostCommunist Romania is different from other PostCommunist countries (i.e. Russia) where people might vote more, but anyway in a large extent vote for the government option, without considering there's a choice.... However, Romanian political culture, quite the opposite, doesn't seem much moe possitive to me...

And I then I began thinking on those that lost illusion on "regular" democracy and ask for abstention, saying that if the day nobody goes voting the change will come, political class will change, so on.
I'm not myself in a "God bless liberal democracy" mood lately, quite deceived by so many things, but I was thinking these days... If someday in Spain only 30% of electors go to vote, shall it be the scandal we hope, or will it be the end of an growing apathy process, life going on and no change at all? Because I have just read that this is the worst participation rate since 1989 in Romania, and life does go on, too much.

Dunno, yet today my most pessimistic views prevail. I wish you all better thoughts.

A tourist break

I should write about so many things: about lively street life in Bucharest (parks, music, bikes and beer), about sad imprints that blur the photo (stray dogs -oraşul e al nostru-, wandering glue-addict kids, empoverished pensioneers, high profile homeless), about politics (the politically void electoral circus, the Romanian perception on Italian government recent derive -forza, V.-), about the construction fever, the Romania-European Union deluding romance, about either funny or significative everyday challenges (exhausting bill paying, language misunderstandings...).

I should write about so many meaningful things. However, summer is coming, and some of you asked me many weeks ago to describe a little bit the Romanian "touristic circuit". But I'm afraid I have traveled around just a little bit so far, only to Southern Transylvania and the North of Bulgaria. So I will just upload some photos and mention some names.



Transylvania. An up-and-down itinerary through valleys and montains very different from Pyrenees but as impressive or even more, with many historical towns and castles to stop by. Sinaia-Brasov-Sighisoara-Sibiu summarize the route; being Southern Transylvania quite near from Bucharest, it can be done (a part of it) in a week-end, but there's secondary roads and valleys for a week, also. A lot of Dracula merchandising around Bran, the most deceiving spot in the route, from my point of view. Very tasty cheese is sold by the road.
Suceava and Moldava. The "Monastyr route", I've been told it to be one of the most beautiful spots in Romania. Maramures is the distant region everyone want to visit around here these days.
Towns like Cluj or Iasi are both interesting to be seen and the operation center for car trips to Moldova-Suceava-Northern Transylvania. From Tulcea to the East, the Danube delta is the first option for nature lovers (spetially bird lovers), although in any case there's trekking routes all over the country.
Well, maybe this is not a very useful post for people planning a trip, but sometimes traveling is like picking books or CDs, an appealing name and a nice cover fuel imagination... Anyway, this is not at all a planning-in-advance country... Just buy a round ticket and gather some general ideas, and get on the road!

Sopa de letras multicolor

Hay elecciones municipales en junio, y con tanta alcaldía, tantas siglas y tantos colores, la cosa me tiene mareada.

Mareo politológico. ¿Tanta alcaldía? Bueno, Bucarest en realidad se compone de seis ayuntamientos (uno por Sector), más uno general. Vamos, imaginaos una Comunidad Autónoma del tamaño de una ciudad, es decir, casa tras casa tras casa, y dividida en seis provincias. Pues más o menos eso, descripción de andar por casa. Yo vivo en sector 1, trabajo en sector 5 y voy a clases de rumano al sector 2... Todo ello en un perímetro de menos de media hora andando desde mi casa. Me intriga, intento aprender, cómo se puede desarrollar de manera coordinada una ciudad cuando un paso de cebra depende de un tipo, y el siguiente de otro... Pero bueno, hay dos explicaciones: primero, que la Primaría General manda mucho más; segundo, que Bucarest NO es una ciudad con un desarrollo coordinado ni mucho menos.

Mareo alfabético. Una quincena de candidatos, una quincena de partidos... Social, Liberal, Popular, Campesino, Demócrata, Nacional, Cristiano... Elige tres palabras, pon un guión, tienes un partido. Vamos, que necesito un master para orientarme aquí, menos mal que...

(Mareo audiovisual)... existen los colores. Estas son las elecciones arcoiris. Como las líneas del metro de Madrid, a mí no me preguntéis nombres, sé que está el partido naranja butano (el del presi, una rosa en el logo), el partido rojo pasión (el ex-rojo, tres rosas en el logo), el amarillo limón (tengo un boli), el verde lima (que no es el Partido Verde), el azul cielo. A ver, vivo al lado de Sala Palatului, que es un poco como el Palacio de los Deportes, así que ya me han tocado tres mítines de diferentes colores, con sus banderitas al viento, sus jóvenes repartiendo bolis, sobres, camisetas y su stand con alguna persona arengando al personal.

Mareo gráfico. Se necesitan urgentemente en este país trabajadores para el sector de la construcción y asesores de imagen... La primera propaganda que me endosaron fue la del candidato de mi sector (uno) del Partido Social Demócrata, y entre el fondo de bandera roja ondeando, la cara de niño bueno, delegado de la clase, esos ojos de corderito degollado "por favor votame"... Hoy vi su video electoral, y ¿sabéis a qué discurso corresponde esta imagen: "El Sector 1 vota. Juventud. Innovación. Voluntad. Profesionalismo. Es tiempo de cambios... etc."



Pero bueno, repeinados todos... Otro video, este del Partido Campesino: "Bucarest, una ciudad que mata¨, empieza el video. ¿será verdad, como dice el video, que la esperanza de vida en Bucarest es menor que en el resto de Rumania?



El color de la toga de Ciencias Políticas es del mismo color butano... Este mitin me recuerda mi orla de fin de carrera.... La salida de este mitin me pilló en la calle... qué agobio.



ANEXO PARA FREAKIES

http://infoalegeri.ro/

Candidatos a la Primaria General

• Andrei Marian - PRR
• BlagaVasile - PD-L
• Diaconescu Cristian - PSD
• Dumitrescu Dan - PER
• Frumosu Dragos - UPSS
• Fuciu Daniel - PNG-CD
• Gheorghe Dinu - PPPS
• Gusa Cozmin - PIN
• Ion Ioana - PRE
• Ionicescu Gheorghe - PVR
• Ludovic Orban - PNL
• Meir Nati - PFC
• Mihai Mihaela - PNDC
• Mironov Alexandru - PSR
• Oprescu Sorin Mircea
• Pavelescu Aurelian - PNTCD
• Stanciu Lucia - PAS
• Stefanescu Codrin - PC
• Varbaciu Nicolae - PSR
• Verdinas Verginia - PRM
• Vilau Ioan Adrian - UPSC
• Vladu Alexandru - PP

Candidatos para el Sector 1

• Bojanopol Mariana - UPSS
• Bustea Elena - PNTCD
• Chiliman Andrei Ioan - PNL
• Constantin C. Oana - PSR
• Damian Spiridon - PVR
• Manea Vasile - PER
• Mitroi V. Florea - PPPS
• Murgeanu Razvan - PD-L
• Oprea Marian - PNG-CD
• Petrescu Anca - PRM
• Plesa Alexandru - PRR
• Rotaru Oana Stefania - PIN
• Solomon Natalia - PAS
• Tanasescu Paul - PC
• Tudorache Dan - PSD

Etc... Etc... Etc...

Coffee spoiler

Hi! It's been so long since my last post... I'm afraid I'm a third lazy, a third busy and a third practical-problems-fighting, that equals I'm a crappy blogger...

Anyway... As it's lunchtime (Spanish lunchtime, 15 h.), I just have another "food" anecdote... This time related to one of my addictions, that is, coffee.

Romania is supposed to have coffee tradition, in contrast with tea tradition from Slavic countries (you know, the Latin island in a Slavic world). The traditional coffee is the Turkish one, but noone ever prepares it, and no cafeteria or restaurant offers it. Too long to prepare, no time to loose (capitalist frenzy? or practical approach?)... So they changed to long, American coffee. You know, the coffee we Spanish and also Italians consider bad... That´s why it´s difficult for me to consider Romania a "coffee country", after all.

Well, after the fake sociological introduction, let´s go to the anecdote. This weekend I invited a friend to have lunch, I prepared coffee and she found it soooo strong... So this morning, when they came to install air conditioning at my house (now I'll be safe in Bucharest July canicule), I offered coffee (I always do, coffee, water, whateverm in Spain people fixing thing at your place would accept, here they say no and look surprised for the offer, but I can´t help keep offering, I feel unpolite if I prepare a coffee for myself and don´t offer around...). Well, this time they said yes. But then I went to the kitchen, tasted my coffee cup and noticed it was so nicely strong... So I decided to commit a crime: I poured one tenth of a cup and then filld the rest with water... they seemed to like it like that!

Lost my coffee principles today....

Bueno, hace un montón que no escribo, me temo que ando medo vaga, medio ocupada, medio preocupada, medio liada... Ya sabéis que escribo cuentos de 2 líneas cada 4 años, así que mi vaguería en todo lo escrito no os sorprenderá.

En fin, que reaparezco con otras anécdota alimenticia, bueno, no demasiado alimenticia, más bien adictiva: una historia de café.

Rumania es un país cafetero, en teoría, una isla en un entorno amante del té, como es la Europa eslava. El café tradicional es del tipo turco, con los posos dentro del vaso. Ya nadie lo prepara, nadie lo sirve... demasiado trabajo. Y se han pasado al café largo, americano; por eso me cuesta considerar a los rumanos como verdaderos cafeteros, porque ya sabéis, para españoles, italianos (no sé si para colombianos y toda la pesca), el café bueno es el café fuerte, expreso, y un café americano es algo que sólo se bebe porque no hay más remedio.

Así que en Rumania se toma café americano. Fin de la afirmación falsamente sociológica. Inicio de la anéctoda. El otro día invité a una amiga a comer, y cuando llegó el momento del café, le costó horrores beberlo, demasiado fuerte. Hoy vinieron a ponerme el aire acondicionado, y les ofrecí café; siempre lo hago cuando vienen a arreglarme algo, en general aquí me miran raro, en España el 50% de las veces aceptan. Aquí no debe ser costumbre, pero la verdad es que me siento muy maleducada si me preparo un café y no ofrezco, así que lo sigo haciendo. Pero hoy aceptaron, y de repente me encontré con un problema: mi café de cafetera italiana era muy fuerte, no les iba a gustar... así que cometí un pecado capital, puse en una taza un poquito de café y rellené el resto con agua. !Parece que les gustó¡

"Tengo pocos principios, y los gasto en las tonterías que me da la gana" (Irene dixit, hace siglos, y sus amigos se lo recuerdan cuando quieren callar alguna enrevesada teoría...). En fin, parece ser que en lo relacionado con el café hoy he perdido un buen puñado de principios...