Your Vote Is A Joke

I remained quiet about the referendum that took place last night on purpose. As some of this blog's readers have noted, it's hard to establish dialogue when discussing politics in Romania; it turns into very poisonous polemic quickly and people can't even agree to disagree. If I had talked about voting 'NO', I'd be labelled a pro-Basescu loyalist. If I'd pushed for a 'YES', it would've meant that the rule of law means nothing to me and I support the political coup d'etat that took place. Taking a position and going back and forth on the issues would've been pointless once I made myself known as an affirmed supporter of one camp or the other.

Now that what's done is done, I can tell you that I didn't vote and also why I didn't.

The first thing you need to realize about this referendum is that it didn't need to take place. Whether you voted or not and whichever side you support, the referendum did not need to take place. Firstly, it didn't make sense from a practical standpoint. Realistically speaking Basescu was not going to change anything about Romania in the four months 2 years he had left in office. He was an embattled President faced with a hostile Parliament and a pathetic approval rating that assured he'd never be re-elected anyway. Secondly, Basescu was impeached under an interpretation of the Constitution that didn't fit no matter how you twisted it. Of course, invoking the law and Constitution doesn't make much difference when a significant portion of the electorate finds it normal to exchange a vote for a bag of flour. The fact that observers in the West, where Constitutional law tends to matter, happened to notice the USL banditry taking place here didn't make much difference either, the damage was done.

Romanians have some talent for rallying against a common enemy (Basescu, in this case), but coming together to build something positive and to unite for the better of our country is simply beyond us. That actually requires rolling up our sleeves and working. This referendum has only managed to further polarize the country. Outside of the party members and illiterates, there are very well meaning people on both sides of this referendum, but there's no doubt many will be harboring hard feelings. The press will add to it all by serving up a lot of vitriol in the next few days further increasing the divide between us. Meanwhile the mafiosos in power will continue making shady deals and undermining democratic processes under our very noses.

Showing up to vote would mean, firstly, that I'm validating the referendum itself. In this case I very much resented that before even voting I'd have been manipulated by a political party (which I don't even support). Secondly, I have no confidence that my presence would not have been used fraudulently by either party involved. Taking into account that I'm not on any official voter list would only increase those chances. Finally, I don't agree that Basescu should be dismissed in this way, and not showing up was a good way of staying true to this principle without outright stamping my support on the ballot (assuming enough Romanians also stayed away).

Somebody posted this image on Facebook, I would've gone to vote if the ballot had looked like this:

EDIT:
I resent the political leaders in this country more than ever. I resent that this referendum has manipulated people into standing behind people who don't deserve their confidence. I resent that I'm basically supporting Basescu, even if indirectly, and I resent that the only item on the USL agenda is to eliminate a political rival. I said it before and I'll say it again, politicians here do what they want because people aren't willing to hold them accountable on a daily basis.