Deutsche Welle on Romania: raises questions over electoral fraud, intimidation of Constitutional Court

Has Romania gone crazy or just lost its way? A story from German news service Deutsche Welle titled 'Romania gone astray' has been widely commented on in the Romanian media, but the local version is somewhat exaggerated, with the translation being 'Romania gone crazy.' The article itself covers the allegations that PM Victor Ponta's government is attempting to falsify electoral rolls on a large scale and refers to recordings of telephone conversations between ministers and senior officials made public by the Romanian Supreme Court. Coupled with the claims by Romania's Constitutional Court of intimidation and threats against judges, Deutsche Welle portrays the Social Liberal Union's (USL) actions as an attempt to validate the referendum retrospectively by fair means or foul. The article also underlines PM Victor Ponta's unsuccessful calls to accept defeat in the referendum and suggests that he has no real control over the government or the political situation. “Observers believe that Ponta has little real power in the Social Democratic Party he leads and that regional powerbrokers, who also control their local economies, have the most influence over his political fate,” reads the Deutsche Well article. Read the Deutsche Welle article. Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com