Recent weeks have seen Europe grappling with democratic crises and rising anti-EU sentiment.
This was soon followed by the surprise win in the first round of the Romanian presidential elections by Călin Georgescu, a noted critic of both the EU and NATO, and vocal opponent of support for Ukraine.
“Russian interference”
The result seemed to come as a surprise to Western pundits, who, needless to say, immediately began to label Georgescu as “far-right” and “pro-Putin”, and there was immediately the usual wave of western media articles decrying “Russian interference” and dirty dealings, with especial handwringing that the western backed pro-EU “favorite” Marcel Ciolacu came third and was eliminated from the second round.
Queue the “defenders of democracy” leaping into action, with an appeal to the Romanian Constitutional Court to overturn the first-round election results. On the 2nd of December, the Constitutional court upheld the first round results in a ruling that shook the EU to its core, ruling that the first round results were valid. Combined with the parliamentary elections, which saw a large increase in conservative parties holding seats in the parliament, which, combined with an anti-EU President would make life hell for pro-western MPs in the nations parliament.
The news for the EU kept getting worse, with the French Prime Minister Michel Barnier using special powers to force through a budget that would beggar ordinary French people to allow the government to continue sending money to Ukraine (seriously, does nobody teach history in France anymore? The last time that happened was when the French king Louis XVI pulled the same trick to support the American rebellion against the British, and ended up with the French Revolution….).
No Confidence among mortal enemies
These “special powers” were intended to bypass a parliamentary vote on the budget, but his attempt to use them so enraged the French “opposition” (who in fact make up a significant majority of seats in the French parliament) that formerly mortal enemies in both the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) and right-wing National Rally (NR) agreed common cause and tabled a no-confidence motion that received 331 votes, far more than the 288 required, which means that the Barnier government is no more.
This marks the first time a French government has failed a no-confidence vote since 1962, and could well mark the collapse of the 5th republic as well.
Needless to say, the ever-democratic Macron, who selected Barnier to lead a minority government despite the NFP winning the parliamentary elections, and the NR coming second, has stated he has no intention of resigning, continuing his usual raping of French democracy (such as it is).
Macron promises to consult all major parties before appointing a new PM, but given his previous track record, I wouldn’t hold my breath on a result any more democratic, or acceptable to the opposition, than the debacle that proceeded from his choice of Barnier to lead a minority government.
Out with the election results!
In a shock announcement on December 6th, the Romanian Constitutional court annulled the election result based on claims of, you guessed it, “Russian interference”, claiming they did it to “to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process”
Needless to say, this has caused widespread anger in Romania amongst voters, and, quite surprisingly, Georgescu’s opponent in the second round, Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, also expressed her outrage at the decision saying
“the constitutional court’s decision is illegal, amoral and crushes the very essence of democracy: voting”
And here we see it, the essence of European “democratic values”, if you don’t get the right result, claim “Russian interference” and keep holding elections until the slaves…. I mean the public, vote the right way. After all, we can’t have the public having a say, whatever would happen to Ukraine! What would happen to the lucrative EU gravy train that they all gorge from like pigs?
It is especially vile, given that polling showed 63% would vote for Georgescu. As so usual, the EU’s motto seems to be “You will vote until you get it right!”
Western-led Coup
The main thing I take from this court led coup, and the Western support for it, is that the house of cards is crumbling. Anti-EU and anti-NATO sentiments are growing rapidly across eastern and Southern Europe, as various national publics awaken to the realization that they are little more than cheap labor and a captive market for their imperial overlords in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Washington.
In addition, countries like Romania are vital to two prongs of NATO imperialism, the first being Moldova, and its breakaway region of Transnistria, the second being Ukraine and the Black Sea coast. Romania is vital for both supplying Ukraine with weapons, and as an outlet for Ukrainian agricultural products, as well as providing access for NATO to the Black Sea.
There are concerns that Ukrainian naval drones used to attack Crimea and other Russian ports may be operating from Romanian ports, rather than Odessa, further raising tensions in the region.
Georgescu has promised to stop both military support for Ukraine, as well as its economic lifeline of grain exports, either of which would be enough to cause panic amongst western backers of Ukraine. Asked by the BBC whether he would stand by EU political and military commitments to support Ukraine, the candidate was unambiguous.
“Zero. Everything stops. I have to take care just about my people. We have a lot of problems ourselves,”
He went on to criticize western claims of him being a Russian agent:
“They can’t accept that the Romanian people finally said, ‘we want our life back, our country, our dignity’,” he said.
Words which echo statements by the recently reelected Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze, one might add.
Needless to say, it is fairly obvious that what we are seeing is a coup led by judges acting in the interest of foreign powers, not the Romanian people. In response to the court decision, Georgescu said:
“It is basically a formalized coup d’état, the rule of law is in an induced coma and justice, subordinated to political orders, has practically lost its essence, it is no longer justice,”
Surprisingly, he was supported by his opponent who would also have taken part in the second round, Elena Lasconi, who cuttingly said:
“Today is the moment when the Romanian state has trampled on democracy!”
One Giant Step Backwards!
What does this mean for Europe going forward? The next big test is the upcoming German election set for February 2025, where the “right wing” (only because they are anti-EU/NATO, their actual economic and social policies are more center left) AfD is set to cement its place as the second-biggest party, and may well ride a wave of anti-establishment anger to eclipse the CDU.
Rigged Elections and Coup Plots
Unfortunately, the prognosis isn’t good, with the stage set by staged-elections in Moldova, the attempted Maidan/Rose Revolution 2.0 in Georgia, and now the court led coup in Romania, and the ignoring of the election results in France, it appears that Europe has returned to its old autocratic, and in some case, fascistic roots.
It is highly likely that the German elections will be either rigged, or the result overturned if the result goes against the wishes of Brussels and Washington.
Meanwhile, in France, the Little Emperor Macron refuses to stand down in the face of his humiliation in the French parliamentary elections, and the failure of his self-appointed minority government under now former PM Barnier.
Macron’s near suicidal support for Ukraine at the expense of the French people, not to mention Europe at large, and his, and his fellow leaders’ undermining, some would say outright destruction, of European democracy, is almost certainly a case of Macron fiddling, while Europe burns.
Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs
