Cav's Place

The danger was real, but in the end things turned out as close to well as possible over here, with Nicusor Dan winning the presidential election. And he actually did so more clearly than I expected… Or, more exactly, more clearly than I thought possible, because I wasn’t certain that he was going to win, and if he did I expected it to be by 5% at the very best, and others from the “old guard” of activists were at least as worried, some even more so. But at the time I’m writing this, with over 98% of precincts counted, the difference is about 8.5%, and while there are plenty of votes from abroad left to count and Simion is winning there, a difference of at least 8% seems quite certain. And what’s interesting is that this is exactly what the exit polls said, while so far they were way off.
Now the next question is what’s going to happen with Bucharest, since we’ll need a new mayor here and the position is under serious threat from PSD. And then, of course, there is the fact that Nicusor Dan is a right-leaning centrist without a particular vision or ideology other than being a strict follower of rules and regulations, a fighter against corruption and those who flaunt the law, and unfortunately a supporter of the current economic system and of the private over the public sector, so most definitely not a leftist or progressive, and only an environmentalist in the loosest sense, usually going only as far as ensuring that the current regulations in the field are respected. And his expertise is Bucharest, and in particular fighting against those who go against building regulations, which he had been doing for over a decade before becoming mayor, which won’t really matter as president. On the other hand, in his time as mayor he did have to deal with a disastrous budget situation and a split Council, with a majority that was often hostile, and has some notable achievements under those circumstances, which do prove skills that he will need in his new position. But the president’s main attributes have to do with external affairs and security matters, and on those topics he seems to be coming from the right place, more or less, but his skills remain to be proven.
But all of that, as well as any questions about when will people elect some who do adhere to the values and ideology that are so desperately needed and how long can we still afford to wait for that moment, if at all, are for tomorrow and the days after. This moment, this night, is a time of relief. Not celebration, not happiness, maybe not even so much of true hope for an actually good future, but definitely relief. The disaster that’d have been Simion becoming president was averted and, especially considering the difference, the mainstream politicians will also see that the wind doesn’t blow from that direction, or at least not anymore, and most probably fall in line at least to Nicusor’s level. And, for the moment, that’s the best that could have been realistically hoped for.