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This weekend, Romania faces the second round of presidential elections, a decisive runoff between Nicușor Dan and George Simion . Ever since the controversial cancellation of last November’s vote—originally set between Elena Lasconi and far-right candidate Călin Georgescu—tensions have run high. Was it truly undemocratic to annul an election that appeared to be clearly sabotaged? In this post, I want to explore who these two candidates are, and why it matters that the centrist voice prevails. We'll also take a closer look at the legitimacy of the cancelled elections and whether the public backlash has been justified. And finally, what could it mean for Romania if Simion becomes president? WHO IS NICUȘOR DAN? Nicușor Dan was born on December 20, 1969, in Făgăraș, Brașov County. He was born during communism in Romania, His father was a laborer and his mother was an accountant. The numbers gift was also passed to him. A gifted mathematician, he earned a gold medal in the Math Olypmics...

Last Friday, 6th December, was a very interesting day. As I was getting off work, my thoughts drifted to the weekend's plans and our Finnish Independence Day celebrations. But then, an unexpected announcement from the Romanian Constitutional Court caught me completely off guard! In a shocking move, the Court invalidated the first round of the Presidential Elections, forcing the candidates to restart the entire process from scratch.  This week’s blog post dives into this unprecedented decision and explores what it could mean for the future of Romanian democracy.   WHAT HAPPENED EXACTLY? On Friday afternoon, the Romanian Constitutional Court dropped a bombshell: the results of the first round of the Presidential Elections were annulled, and the entire process would have to start over from scratch. Candidates must now re-register, gather signatures, and receive formal approval before they can relaunch their campaigns. This extraordinary and unprecedented decision has no parallel ...

Since Călin Georgescu's unexpected victory, there has been considerable discussion surrounding the legionnaires and Romania's ultra-fascist Legionnaire Movement. This week, we delve into the origins of this movement and examine its resurgence in contemporary Romanian politics. Georgescu is a prominent figure associated with these ideas, but unfortunately, he is not alone in propagating this harmful rhetoric within Romania's political sphere.   WHAT WAS THE LEGIONNAIRE MOVEMENT? The Legionnaire Movement, also called the Iron Guard and formally known as the Legion of the Archangel Michael, was a far-right, ultra-nationalist organization that emerged in Romania during the interwar period. Founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, it combined radical nationalism, fervent antisemitism, and Orthodox Christian mysticism. The movement sought to create a " spiritually pure " Romania, free from perceived external and internal threats, particularly targeting Jewish commun...

On November 24, 2024, Romanians headed to the polls to elect the country’s next president. In a shocking twist, Călin Georgescu emerged as the winner with a commanding 22.94% of the votes. Trailing behind him were Elena Lasconi with 19.18% and Ion Ciolacu with 19.15%. Notably, only a few thousand votes separated the second and third places, highlighting how close the race was beyond Georgescu's unexpected victory.  His win was both a surprise and a shock to many.  In this blog post, we’ll dive into who Călin Georgescu is, how this election unfolded to give rise to a "TikTok star" victory, and what his presidency could mean for Romania's future. Before we continue, I want to make it clear that this topic is deeply personal to me as a Romanian. My goal is to advocate for democracy, freedom, and a stable economy for our country. I am painfully aware of the hardships Romania has endured under corrupt governments. However—and this is a critical point—the solution is not a...

In many cultures, the military is seen as a normal rite of passage for making boys into men. However, in Russia, and many prior Soviet countries, conscription can be brutal. Dedovshchina can include cruel beatings, torture, and rape. Sometimes, boys never make it out alive from their compulsory service. YOU ARE WORTHLESS Dedovshchina is often translated as the "reign of grandfathers", and it's the process of hazing of junior conscripts by senior conscripts, officers and non-commissioned officers. It was widespread in the Soviet Union, and still prevails in the Russian army. It is practiced to a lesser extent in the other branches of the Russian security ecosphere like in FSB, Border Guards and National Guards.  Younger draftees often have to do chores for their superiors, like shining boots (source: unknown) This barbaric practice is often cited as a rite of passage for everyone that goes to conscription service in the army. It involves everything from doing chor...

Powerful men wearing balaclavas, sporting rioting gear and beating innocent and defenceless people mercilessly. That sounds like the behaviour of criminals in the jungle, not the actions of government sanctioned police units from Croatia. The EU is becoming desperate and in a bid to curb the ongoing refugee crisis, some certain southern EU countries have taken the law in their own hands with barbaric actions that are not only inhumane, but illegal. Masked undercover police officers in Croatia  Nine leading European media outlets led an eight months long investigation into allegations that migrants are beaten up, pushed out and left at sea in sometimes life-threating conditions. The biggest questions was who is doing this, who is funding them and why are they behaving in such a crude, and illegal manner? The findings of this investigation was shocking! It found that certain countries like Croatia, Romania, and Greece are pushing back illegal migrants by using force and illegal tacti...

Abductions by North Korea were never a mystery to the world. Since the 1950s, scientists, politicians and skilled workers from South Korea were often kidnapped and forced to put their knowledge to the benefit of the regime. However in 2002, under the rule of Kim Jong-Il, North Korea admitted to also being responsible for snatching unsuspecting victims from Japan, Italy, and other countries. Their disappearances and treatment shocked the world, it was something like the plot from an action movie!  In this post, we will cover the disappearance of Doina Bumbea, a Romanian painter taken from Italy, and the man who she was forced to marry, James Dresnok, a US soldier and deserter to North Korea.  JAMES JOSEPH DRESNOK  From a young age, James' life was in turmoil. He was born in Richmond, Virgina in USA on November 24, 1941. His parents were Joseph and Margaret Dresnok. They were quite poor and often fought over money. When James was younger, his mother left their fathe...