EU intervenes in Romania: setback for democracy?

EU intervenes in Romania: setback for democracy?

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - The political situation in Romania has achieved a dramatic turning point: The Romanian election commission has decided not to allow the first election candidate Calin Georgescu to repetition. According to Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ federal party chairman, this represents an "anti-democratic coup", which was best staged by the "Brussels elite". Kickl sharply criticized that the EU has not proven itself as a defense lawyer of democracy, but rather appeared as a sabototurine who worked behind the scenes on the annoyance of the election, as the ots reported.

The FPÖ sees an alarming sign in the systematic elimination of unwanted opinions. Petra Steger, an EU member of the FPÖ, described the decision of the election commission as scandalous. She pointed out that the EU not only influences elections, but also exercises idiosyncratic practices that could endanger the Union's democratic profile. The legal foundations for such interference seem to be interpreted more and more flexibly. These processes raise questions about the fairness of the elections and the protection of fundamental rights, which are actually guaranteed by the EU charta. These basic values ​​contain human dignity, freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights, such as the website of the European Union emphasized.

The FPÖ demands that Federal President Van der Bellen and the Federal Government clearly work for the restoration of democracy and fundamental freedoms in Romania. The protection of the right to free and fair elections is considered essential to prevent future abuse by the EU. Kickl and Steger see urgent need for action and warn that such interventions in national elections not only affect Romania, but could also be a threat to the entire EU. The protection of democratic principles must also be fundamentally evaluated and defended in order to prevent legitimation of electrical influences, regardless of the direction from which they come.