"Vlad the Impaler": why is the right wing so strong in Romania?

Romania has been through several crises in the last three and a half decades, since the end of the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. There was the “Mineríades” of 1990/91 – politically staged attacks by miners on Bucharest aimed at suppressing democratic aspirations after the fall of communism. Then there was the crisis of 2012, when corrupt politicians fought for power with then-President Traian Basescu for months.

In these weeks and months, Romania has been in a deep crisis, caused by the annulled presidential elections of November 2024.

But this is not just another crisis. What is different now is that never since 1990 have far-right, anti-Western and pro-Russian forces in Romania had as much support as they do now. Never since 1990 has Romanian society looked so disillusioned and discouraged as it does today.

This sentiment was reflected in the violent nighttime protests in Bucharest last Sunday. Supporters of right-wing parties rampaged through the streets, destroying shops and cafes, and clashing with police. Although the protests only involved a few hundred rioters, the scenes, the likes of which the Romanian capital has not seen in years, may have been a warning of what was to come.

Reason: The Election Commission excluded Đorđescu

The unrest was sparked by the decision of Romania's Central Electoral Commission (BEC) to exclude pro-Russian right-wing extremist Calin Đorđescu from the repeat presidential elections to be held in May.

Reasoning: With his statements, Đorđescu violated the President's obligation to protect the Constitution and democracy, and is therefore not allowed to run. Đorđescu appealed this decision to the Constitutional Court, which unanimously rejected it this Tuesday, March 11. There is no longer any right of appeal against this decision.

Đorđescu won the first round of the then-presidential election in late November 2024 – and according to today's polls, he would still be the most likely candidate to win. The Constitutional Court initially declared the election valid, but later annulled it, citing new information that had emerged.

Specifically, it was determined that Đorđescu financed his election campaign illegally, and that Russia attempted to influence the election in his favor through digital attacks. Illegal campaign financing has been publicly documented, but Russian election interference has not yet been proven.

The international consequences of the Đorđescu case

The Đorđescu case took on international proportions when US Vice President JD Vance used it as "proof" that Europe as a whole was undemocratic at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February.

In addition, Đorđescu is supported by Elon Musk, who described his disqualification on the X platform as "madness".

Đorđescu described the blocking of his candidacy as “a direct blow to the heart of world democracy.” He declared: “Europe is now a dictatorship, and Romania is ruled by tyranny.”

Investigations against the conspirators

But the Romanian public is not only agitated by the Đorđescu case. Last week, the Special State Prosecutor for Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) announced that it was investigating a group of six people as well as a 101-year-old retired general for attempting to overthrow the state order.

An arrest warrant was issued for the same crime a few weeks ago for Romanian mercenary leader Horatii Potra, but his current whereabouts are unknown.

"Vlad Impaler" for the "Getiu" state

In fact, both Calin Đorđescu and the alleged putschists are bizarre and grotesque figures. Đorđescu, a right-wing extremist with esoteric leanings, clearly states that he wants to “abolish the system” and the political elite. At the same time, he claims that he is already the president of Romania and that through him the entire Romanian people are running for the highest state office. He presents himself as a Christian Messiah and promises to elevate Romania to the status of a world power. In addition, he announces that as president he will advocate the division of the “fictional state” of Ukraine between Romania, Russia, Hungary and Poland.

Even more bizarre ideas are being hatched by the “putschists,” whose plot was allegedly exposed last week. They call themselves the “Vlad the Impaler Command” – after the medieval Wallachian duke (1431-1476), who is the historical model for the fictional character Dracula. Instead of Romania, they want to establish a state called “Getia,” which would be governed by a military and “energy-information” leadership, as well as a “Council of the Wise.”

Chronic lack of will for reforms

However, the current crisis in Romania is not caused by these incredible nonsense reminiscent of the fascist legionary ideology of the interwar period, nor by the megalomaniacal dictatorship of Ceausescu. The real cause of the crisis is the chronic lack of political will for reform, that is, for transparent and sustainable governance – with all the consequences that this entails.

Although Romania has developed significantly macroeconomically in recent decades, many rural regions have been left behind and are experiencing mass exodus. Corruption, clientelism, personal enrichment of political elites, political pressure on the judiciary, and non-transparency of public administration remain widespread. Infrastructure development is progressing slowly and often without a clear plan.

Decades of neglected reforms in the education system, as well as incompetent reporting by many media outlets, are also a major problem. Right-wing extremists like Đorđescu often spread drastic lies and disinformation in their public appearances and interviews, and journalists rarely contradict them or fact-check them.

Questionable methods of government

Former Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who recently stepped down, promised deep reforms in the country in 2014. But instead, he retreated into passivity. During his two terms, judicial reforms were halted, the fight against corruption weakened, and constant political crises took hold.

In such a context, with a lack of political alternatives, the electorate increasingly turned to right-wing extremist parties – which won around 2024 percent of the vote in the December 35 parliamentary elections.

Frightened by this trend, the Romanian political elite has taken steps that have raised objections that it is now fighting the anti-democratic presidential candidate, Đorđescu, with anti-democratic means. Many of the measures taken against him are indeed questionable.

For example, he has been under criminal investigation since February 2022 for glorifying the Legionnaires' movement – ​​but that did not prevent him from running in the presidential elections in November 2024. Also, the coup plans of the "Vlad the Impaler Command" have been freely available on the internet for years, and the secret services and the judiciary have not reacted.

Publicist Joana Ene Dogoju from the internet portal Spotmedia warns: "We are in a deep crisis, with a weakened and numbed democracy, a polarized society, weakened institutions and enormous distrust between voters and the political class. These are the real problems. Đorđescu has only seized the opportunity. If these problems remain, it is only a matter of time before a new profiteer appears."