Romania's Facebook revolution: Over 60,000 people are in the streets - „you can’t buy us off with two resignations!”

Over 60,000 people rallied in the streets in Romania’s capital Bucharest and elsewhere in the country on Wednesday evening to protest against the corrupt political system that has led the country in the past 25 years. Groups of protesters are organizing on Facebook and several movements are already starting to take shape. Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s resignation in the morning after 25,000 people marched through central Bucharest asking for his resignation didn’t manage to appease the crowds. On the contrary, seeing that their voice had been heard, more people decided to go out and take a stand against corruption and the politicians who represent it. „Corruption kills!”, „Down with the corrupt system!, and „You can’t buy us off with two resignations!” and were some of the most important messages displayed by the peaceful protesters. They also sent a strong message to President Klaus Iohannis, asking him to stand up to the moment and start the much-awaited change he promised one year ago when he was elected. „Iohannis, you have only one shot,” the people in the streets warned. More than 30,000 gathered in Bucharest’s University Square and in the Constitution Square in front of the Parliament’s building. Thousands also went out in big cities like Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Sibiu, Galati, Constanta, Brasov, and elsewhere in Romania. The protesters plan to hold their ground until late at night and to continue rallying in the following days. Meanwhile, the groups of protesters are also working on coming up with a list of clear proposals for change and to organize various movements to support their demands. One of the strongest Facebook groups, which is called Partidul Colectiv (The Colectiv Party) after the name of the club that burned on Friday killing 32, has gathered over 3,000 members in less than 24 hours. Its list of demands includes lowering the number of Parliament members and finalizing all corruption investigations that target MPs, higher budget spending for healthcare and education, reducing the red tape and clearer laws for companies. Some group members want early elections, others call for an apolitical Government while a third category would like to get rid of all politicians. Another group that is very active is Schimbam Romania – Lista de nominalizari (We change Romania – Nominations list), which has more than 6,000 members. The group is already working on a list of non-politically affiliated people to nominate for various ministerial positions in a future cabinet. The list that has started to take shape includes some well-known personalities in business and culture. Moreover, various groups on Facebook are calling for a large rally in Romania on December 1, the country’s national day. One such event organised on Facebook has already got 33,000 confirmations and 46,000 others interested in joining. Many are also expected to fly in from abroad to join the December 1 movement.