Illusion and Disillusion. Case Studies about the Constitution of a New Political Party in Romania

Abstract

Any time social energies come together, full of hope, to constitute a political party promising to do what the current political parties have failed, we can expect people to be disillusioned; their resentments touch the fibre of democratic life. The illusion that a new party can solve the social problem and may “truly” represent the population is a future disillusion adding to the lack of trust in politics and politicians. To illustrate it, I chose a specific context in Romania and case studies featuring attempts to form political parties. At the same time, the international context plays a significant role, and it explains the most relevant trends of theoretical debates concerning the inception of a new, modern, and efficient political party. I noticed this phenomenon as it unfolded, and I saved over 150 articles and media coverages, including the extended commentaries for the period assessed. The personal observations and media appearances of the opinion leaders/trendsetters are the dominant sources of this analysis.