Insuperable Rules, Absenteeism and Political Strife: A Comparative Analysis of the Romanian National Referendums (1990-2018)
Insuperable Rules, Absenteeism and Political Strife: A Comparative Analysis of the Romanian National Referendums (1990-2018)

Summary/Abstract: In the early ‛90s, the newly emerging Romanian democratic state was one of hope and change. After the collapse of the communist regime in Romania, political pluralism was restored, dozens of new political parties were established, and citizens could, finally, vote in free and fair elections. The enthusiasm for the new democracy was evidenced by the first elections from May 1990 in which over 85% of the Romanian voters participated. Subsequent elections registered lower turnouts that reached an alarming rate of 39% in 2008. Since then, participation in presidential elections has increased somewhat, but not enough to show that Romanians are again interested and involved in political life. Paradoxically, participation has been at the lowest during post-communist referendums, although these types of electoral contests bring Romania closer to a participatory democracy, in which citizens assume an increased political role by deciding directly (and not through their representatives) on issues of great political importance. This paper will address the issue of electoral absenteeism in Romania by putting a special emphasis on the political participation in the seven national referendums organized after 1990, in an attempt to show that beyond the legislative constraints imposed by imperfect electoral laws, electoral absenteeism led to electoral disproportionality and parliamentary instability, thus undermining the quality of the Romanian democracy.

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