Romania: government camp chooses presidential candidate
The partners in the four-party governing coalition have agreed on a joint candidate to run in the repeat of the Romanian presidential election in May: Crin Antonescu, a former head of the national-liberal PNL who has been absent from the political scene for the last decade. Commentators assess his chances but are already incensed by his plans to campaign against gay pride parades.
Anti-progressive narratives can't solve crisis of confidence
If the government camp now tries to lure voters by railing against modern lifestyles it has failed to understand the real problem, criticises G4Media.ro:
“It was not globalism, progressivism and gay parades that brought down the PSD and PNL in the presidential elections in November. Their attempt to revitalise nationalist and extremist narratives shows how out of touch with reality they are. The real problem is Crin Antonescu and [Prime Minister] Marcel Ciolacu themselves, who offer no credible solutions to the major crisis of confidence in the traditional political class. ... Both stand for the past, for the system that so many people voted against [in November] by throwing themselves into the arms of the first seller of false promises.”
No democracy without protection for minorities
LGBT activist Vlad Viski addresses Antonescu directly In Adevărul:
“I won't give you a lesson in democracy, but surely you know that a democracy is based on a few fundamental principles: free elections, the rule of law, a multi-party system and the protection of minorities. ... Minorities are not obliged to submit to the will of the majority. We cannot prohibit freedom of speech and assembly in the name of the so-called majority. Because if we go down that road, it would be pointless to speak of democracy. And if we renounce these principles and fundamental rights, we'll be heading straight for tyranny.”