Civil society, tough message to Nicușor Dan: You risk going down in history not as a reformer, but as a perpetuator of a system you promised to destroy

“You had the chance to change the system; if you chose to serve it, you will be judged as part of it” – is the message that 25 civic organizations send to Nicușor Dan, in an open letter in which they harshly criticize the president for the direction in which he exercises his mandate.

In an open letter to Nicușor Dan, the signatory civic organizations and groups declare themselves “deeply concerned” about the direction in which the president is exercising his mandate “won on the basis of a clear commitment to citizens, in an already strongly radicalized political context”.

“Our demands, to which you referred ironically, are not arbitrary demands”

“In a functioning democracy, the relationship between voter and politician is based on a genuine social contract. It is a mutual relationship, where citizens choose to support a candidate based on explicit clauses – public promises. These are not simple campaign statements, but moral and political obligations.

Our requests, to which you have referred ironically, are not arbitrary demands, but are aimed exclusively at your own commitments. You were elected on a wave of hope: the promise of a functional state without political interference, an independent judiciary and genuine administrative and electoral reforms.

Today, almost a year after taking office, we are forced to note not only that these objectives have not been achieved, but that your actions continue to support the status quo,” the signatories of the letter state.

Civic organizations reproach Nicușor Dan that the decisions he has taken so far “worryingly indicate a continuity of practices from the mandate of former president Klaus Iohannis, a mandate that contributed to the erosion of public trust, the tolerance of corruption and the amplification of social and political tensions”.

“You chose to respond to criticism not with arguments, but with arrogance. Not with responsibility, but with a mimicry of cynicism specific to those you promised to combat. Worse, you treated with superiority people who actively supported change for the better, who assumed real costs to support you and who trusted you based on the program you assumed,” the president is reproached.

“Deafening silence when many magistrates publicly reported serious dysfunctions in the system”

Nicușor Dan is accused for the decisions made in court. An example is the appointment to the head of the High Court of Lia Savonea, “publicly perceived as one of the symbols of captured justice”. The 25 civic organizations say that this decision “represented a devastating signal for confidence in the independence of the judicial system”: “It is not only a controversial decision, but a political statement in itself, which directly contradicts the promises made”.

The civil society reproaches the president and the appointments to the head of the big prosecutor's offices, saying that they were accompanied “by a broad plea in favor of some magistrates whose activity in the past is not only lacking in results and professionalism, but who sabotaged the very act of justice”.

“Instead, we have observed a deafening silence in the context of several magistrates who have recently publicly flagged serious dysfunctions in the judicial system, supported by evidence and insider information. They have taken real risks by exposing themselves to a judicial system repressive of critical voices in the hope of your involvement in support of a functioning, fair and reformed justice system.

In parallel, we are witnessing an intensification of the de facto decriminalization of the big corrupt, through successive releases and cancellations of sentences. The lack of a firm reaction from the presidential institution can only be interpreted as an abdication of the constitutional role of guarantor of the rule of law”, the signatories state.

They also speak of the president's “hesitation and delayed reactions” instead of “clarity and firmness” in how the intelligence services have handled hybrid warfare threats.

And externally, Romania's positioning “has become oscillating and lacks strategic coherence, being too often aligned to momentary opportunities, to the detriment of the long-term national interest”, say the 25 organizations and civic groups.

“You have demonstrated not only a deviation from promises, but a deep disconnection from the electorate that will support you”

Civil society concludes its message to the president with a warning that it risks going down in history “not as a reformer, but as a perpetuator of a system you promised to destroy”:

“The recent appointments at the head of the general prosecutor's office – people on whom there are serious suspicions of incompetence or connections with interest networks – reinforce this direction. They cannot be justified either by criteria of professionalism or integrity.

Through your recent decisions and attitude, you have demonstrated not just a deviation from promises, but a deep disconnect from the electorate that supports you. You chose to minimize this rift instead of correcting it.

The vote received was not one of blind trust, but a mandate conditional on real reforms and compliance with the commitments assumed. Today, this mandate is seriously compromised.

Like your predecessor, you risk going down in history not as a reformer, but as a perpetuator of a system you promised to destroy.

Civil society will not remain a spectator. We will act on, document and publicly sanction every decision that betrays this mandate. We will not accept being tricked and scorned by promises made only to be broken. You had a chance to change the system; if you have chosen to serve him, you will be judged as part of him.”

Who signs the letter to the president

The signatories of the letter to Nicușor Dan:

The message of the civil society comes in the context where in his last public appearance, on Thursday, on Europa FM, Nicușor Dan continued to make a plea for the prosecutors he appointed to lead the big prosecutor's offices, a decision harshly criticized in the public space.

When asked about the accusations against Cristina Chiriac – named general prosecutor – regarding the fact that she did not indict the former bishop of Huși, Corneliu Bârlădeanu, for sexual abuse of some students from the theological seminary in Huși, the president claimed that things were completely different.

Asked how he explains the fact that public figures who supported him, such as Cristian Tudor Popescu or Tudor Chirilă, harshly criticized him for the fact that he accepted the proposals of the PSD Minister of Justice for the heads of the prosecutor's offices, Nicușor Dan said that he was “a little surprised that the attacks started before I finished my explanations”: “It's normal, we are a Latin people, emotional. After the press conference, I expect people to decant the information and look objectively to the data of the problem”.