The Romanian results of the 2019 European Elections drew a sharp contrast between this country and its neighbours. While in Poland and Hungary populist parties took the largest share of the votes, pro-European parties in Romania saw a surge in support, with the ruling party, the Social Democrats (PSD) suffering significant losses.
There was a record turnout of 49%, with the voters also given the option to take part in a referendum as to whether the government should be allowed to offer amnesties in corruption cases. 85% voted against the government holding these powers, echoing the European Commission’s concerns about the PSD government’s judicial processes.
#rezist
The large numbers of people voting in the elections and referendum reflect a growing concern about corruption in Romanian politics. Regular anti-corruption demonstrations, growing into the social movement dubbed #rezist, have been taking place in many cities since 2017, when the government proposed the ordinance bills that triggered the referendum. The writer and academic Ruxandra Cesereanu, from Cluj-Napoca, who has been documenting the movement in her journal From Hooligans to #rezist, saw the results as evidence of a newly politicised youth cohort:
