The deadline for presidential candidacies is March 15th. Ilie Bolojan announced that he will not participate in the presidential race, mainly because he lacks the support of the PNL and PSD, which is a major mistake, as he is the only candidate who can bring stability to Romania and withstand Russia’s attacks.
In the 2024 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix, McLaren Mercedes’ two drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, start from the first two grid positions.
The two dominate the race, cannot be caught by competitors, and Piastri is leading, with better times than his teammate, Lando Norris.
An error by the technical team, changing the pit stop call order for tire replacement, leads to a change in hierarchy, with Lando Norris taking the lead and Piastri in second place.
Zak Brown, the team manager, instructs Norris via radio to give up, to yield the first place to Piastri, as these are the team's rules.
For a few laps on the circuit, Norris struggles internally between his inclination to follow the team's rules, the "employer's" decision, and the desire to win.
Formula 1 enthusiasts know well that drivers are trained from a young age to win at all costs; their lives are a competition that begins with karting at 5-6 years old and continues through the challenges of Formula 3 and Formula 2 races.
Out of tens of thousands of children dreaming of the money, celebrity, and glory of the Formula 1 World Championship, only 20 end up driving the cars in this competition, with some of them failing to win an F1 race throughout their entire careers.
Norris, who had not won any titles in that season until the Hungarian Grand Prix, was pressured from the pit lane to give way to his teammate.
In the end, he yielded four laps before the finish, complying with the rules, but it was impossible for him not to be torn between the two worlds, the possibility of winning and the obligation to yield.
The Best Solution for Romania
The scene described above can be seen in the F1 documentary on Netflix and, in my opinion, it accurately depicts the situation in which interim president Ilie Bolojan finds himself.
Not just his situation, but that of a significant part of the electorate, traumatized by Russia's attack and the Kremlin's attempt to impose Călin Georgescu as president.
That particular segment of the population, around 30% according to polls, is aware that the former mayor of Oradea represents the best solution for the presidency of Romania. On the other hand, the political context created by a part of the PNL and PSD has managed to block his candidacy.
Bolojan is in the same situation as Formula 1 driver Lando Norris - he has victory in hand, from the position of interim president, being the favorite in the presidential race.
He is the only one who can, through his victory, pacify the country and significantly limit the influence of extremist parties supported by Russia. However, Ciolacu, Hellvig, Thuma, and others ask him to step down, even though they have no guarantee of the success of Crin Antonescu's candidacy.
Moreover, according to opinion polls, among Ponta, Nicușor Dan, and Antonescu, the PSD-PNL candidate has the least chance of reaching the second round, especially after Călin Georgescu's withdrawal from the race.
The Return of USL
The major deadlock within the PNL is difficult to explain, a party that fails to recover after the disaster caused by Klaus Iohannis.
Through their behavior, they only indicate a postponement of implosion rather than an attempt at revitalization and profound change by supporting a leader at the Cotroceni Palace who has the popular trust resources to get Romania out of the crisis.
Furthermore, the PSD's position is also hard to understand. With Ilie Bolojan as president, Marcel Ciolacu would secure the position of prime minister as long as the PSD-PNL alliance functions, and the "security guarantees" come precisely from the strength and popular support that Bolojan has.
The governmental coalition has a protocol, which I have also signed, has a designated candidate, so I will respect this protocol. The discussions taking place these days are related to the pre-candidacy period, but consider them as discussions within the pre-electoral context.
Ilie Bolojan, interim president
With Victor Ponta or Crin Antonescu at the Cotroceni Palace, two compromised leaders of the USL, without strong public support, the instability of Romania and the government is guaranteed, leading to the quick departure of Marcel Ciolacu.
It is not clear why, at the level of the political elite, despite understanding the magnitude of the threat posed by Călin Georgescu, the hybrid attack of Russia, and the institutional crisis we are in, the only path to stability has not been recognized, and action has not been taken accordingly.
What a President Can Do
It is also difficult to explain why Ilie Bolojan lacks the strength to assume a candidacy independent of petty political interests and illogical games played within the parties these days.
If he had announced his candidacy, the entire political landscape would have shifted around that decision.
Just as Crin Antonescu did not have the wisdom to step back, although the chances of winning are slim, the one who can truly do it must find the wisdom and political resources to join the game.
Although Bolojan stated that a president cannot solve all of a country's problems, which is true, he can still do something fundamental: change the direction of a country that is heading towards the abyss, while all other leaders are paralyzed by fear.
If he does not run, he may never encounter such an opportunity again and, furthermore, be held responsible for all the misfortunes and tragedies that will befall Romania because he lacked the courage to tear a piece of paper and take control of his destiny.
Lando Norris did not become the Formula 1 World Champion last year, and experts say that his withdrawal in Budapest blocked his transformation from a good driver into a great champion. Because, you see, champions never miss a victory.