Democracy Podcasted: Running for Office in Romania
Andrew Villone | Savor the Experience Tours
Alexandra Chirila | Roaring Romania Tours
About the Podcast:
A good friend of mine, who’s also my trusted tour leader in Romania, recently announced her candidacy for city council in Bucharest’s second district. We sat down to chat about the hows and whys of running for office in her country, what’s on her agenda, and the ins and outs of the Romania’s voting process. Quite soon into our talk, I realized how little I knew about specifics of running for office—not just in my country, but in Europe in general. It also hit me how I have never onced thought about doing anything remotely similar as I’m complacent enough just to check one of the two choices on the ballot and call it a day.
I’m really proud that Alexandra decided that the only way to change her city would require more than just a vote every few years. With all the work, headaches and bullshit ahead, it’s definitely not the easy route to take. If you’re like me and have nary a clue about how elections and running for office in Europe works, please give this a listen. For those of you who had the pleasure to take our Roaming Romania tour in 2019, you’ll get a deeper dive on Romanian issues and mentality from our tour leader.
