Family referendum in Romania: Political reactions after low turnout

There have been many political reactions in Romania after the referendum to change the definition of marriage in the Constitution failed to gain the necessary support to pass. While the opposition parties were happy with the result, a representative of the ruling party said this is a “failure of Romania” and accused the opposition of boycott. Meanwhile, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the main opposition party in Romania, is now facing an internal scandal. Codrin Stefanescu, the deputy secretary general of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), said on Sunday evening, after the first results were announced, that this result is a “failure of the Romanians and of Romania,” and accused the opposition parties and the president of boycott. However, he said that the number of Romanians who voted in the referendum was “gigantic.” “Four million Romanians voted. Four million is a figure,” Stefanescu said, according to local Digi24. He also said that the opposition parties did everything in their power to boycott this referendum, adding that some “mocked” this democratic exercise, “trampling the church, the traditional family, the tradition, the ancestral customs.” He also accused president Klaus Iohannis of acting like he was “the president of another country,” as he didn’t say if he would go to vote or not. The president voted on Sunday evening but made no statements. Meanwhile, Robert Negoita, the mayor of Bucharest’s District 3, criticized the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, insinuating that a real leader would know how to convince people to vote, local Adevarul reported. He also said that many other things could have been made with the EUR 40 million spent on organizing this referendum. Negoita is an important member of PSD and a close friend of Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea. Last month, he signed a document asking the resignation of Dragnea from the position of president of PSD, among other things, alongside other big names from PSD. Udo Bullmann, the president of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, also reacted to the referendum's result. He said in a press release: “This result shows that the vast majority of the Romanian population have no interest in seeing the country discriminate against same sex couples. The proposed change to the constitution would have been a clear backwards step for LGBTI rights and we are glad that this intolerant idea of family did not receive the support of Romanian citizens. What should matter in a marriage is who you love, not what gender they are.” “We hope the Romanian government will listen to voters and focus on the issues they care most about. We also encourage the government to come forward with the draft for civil partnership that is in preparation.” Meanwhile, the opposition party Save Romania Union (USR) welcomed the result, saying that it confirmed what they’ve been saying from the beginning, namely that this is a “useless referendum that does not change the legal status of the family or marriage nor the daily life of the Romanians.” It added that this is also “a vote of no confidence” for the ruling coalition leaders Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu, “who thought they could manipulate the Romanians through fear and lies.” “USR is convinced that the Romanians did not want their vote to be used by PSD and ALDE as an argument for the attacks against justice and for the removal of Romania from the European Union.” Meanwhile, former technocrat prime minister Dacian Ciolos, the founder of the political party Romania Together Movement, said the referendum “has neither winners nor losers,” adding that it is a “strong lesson that we have to learn: the politicians can’t traffic the beliefs and the expectations of Romanians.” “When the politicians forget to serve the citizens and see them as a mass of maneuver at their fingertips, which they can use to solve their own interests, people regain their confidence in themselves and the right to speak. And this time, the Romanians said they no longer want to be deceived and manipulated by politicians,” Ciolos said. Meanwhile, the result of the referendum triggered discontent within PNL, the biggest opposition party in Romania. Some party members posted similar messages on Facebook, in which they criticized party leader Ludovic Orban, accusing him of taking the party in the wrong direction. Orban voted in the referendum and expressed his is support for amending the Constitution. Some of the liberals who posted this message are Alina Gorghiu, Cezar Preda, Mara Calista, Catalin Predoiu, Mişu Voicu, Ovidiu Raeţchi, all important members of the PNL, according to the local media. Partial results presented by the Central Electoral Bureau’s president on Monday morning, October 8, said that only 20.96% of the Romanians voted in the referendum that was organized on October 6-7, below the 30% threshold needed for the referendum to be validated. Most of those who voted, namely more than 91% of them, voted in favor of changing the Constitution.