What It Feels Like When Corruption Is Part of Your Daily Life

On the night of January 31st, the Romanian government passed an emergency decree that decriminalised corruption offences. People saw this as a 'special dedication' law for the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea as well as other members who wouldn't be punished for their crimes any more. Thousands of people gathered spontaneously that night to protest in front of the government building in Bucharest, chanting “At midnight, like thieves!” and asking for the cancellation of the decree.

Romanians from all over the country have taken to the streets every day since that happened and say they are determined to not give up defending democracy and the rule of law. Unlike past demonstrations in Romania, the main request this time wasn’t that the government step down, but for PSD to find some good members to govern honestly, in the interest of the people.

The author of the article, Palko Karasz, who was an intern at Agence France-Presse in Bucharest, gives a good overview of Romania’s problem with and fight against corruption since the fall of communism. He also asked people how they viewed the protests, and you can find a few testimonies at the end of the article.

For me, a couple of things felt different from other protests. First off, having people who voted for PSD openly criticising the party and joining the demonstration. Then, having prominent party members publicly condemning their leader. As for the protesters, they didn't seem to me as enraged as on other occasions, when the outrage flame burned quickly. Their attitude was (and still is) of stubborn determination to protest for as long as it takes to rid themselves of corrupt politicians. 

What’s also worth mentioning is that a counter-manifestation concurrently started in front of the president Klaus Iohannis’s residence. People there say they don’t feel represented by the “foreign” president and by what they see as “the young people’s” requests.