Voting is not always a sign of real choice, although throughout history the term “elections” has been used for both democratic electoral competitions and corrupt voting practices in dictatorial states. In these cases, elections are more of a ceremony to confirm power, reminding citizens of their obligation to unconditionally accept the regime’s decisions and serving to identify opponents, namely those who refuse to exercise their right to vote.
In democracies, voting and broad participation ensure the peaceful transition between governments and legitimize regime changes. In contrast, in non-democratic states, voting is used to maintain the stability and immunity of the regime, as was the case in Romania during the communist period.
VOTE FOR THE SUN! In the elections of November 19, 1946, amid the presence of the Red Army in the country and the establishment of the pro-communist government a year and a half earlier (March 6, 1945), the communists, under the name of the Democratic Bloc of Parties, rigged the results, taking over the legislative power as well. All this took place after an intense electoral campaign in which materials with the symbol of the sun were massively distributed, in the form of leaflets, posters, or inscriptions in various places in towns and villages. Some inscriptions were so durable that they still exist today on the walls of old buildings.
The communist dictatorship in Romania, which lasted for over forty years, maintained a unicameral Parliament called the “Great National Assembly,” to which the Constitutions of 1948, 1952, and 1965 attributed extensive powers in all fields, considering it the supreme organ of state power. In fact, the role of this body was mostly formal, with most laws and decisions being made directly by the Government.
Thus, the communist regime violated the principle of the separation of powers, suppressing, like any dictatorship, the democratic spirit of the country. In the official doctrine, however, the so-called “principle of collaboration of powers” is mentioned, which presupposes the subordination of all powers to the Communist Party.
And yet, why did Romanians still vote during the communist period? Even though there were electoral campaigns and the process resembled the present-day one, ordinary Romanians did not have the right to directly choose the country’s leader; they voted in legislative elections, meaning for the Great National Assembly which, as mentioned above, played a mostly formal role.
Voter turnout was always very high, but it is important to note that most Romanians participated in elections out of obligation or fear of being targeted by the Secret Police as being against the communist system.
