Anul 2020. Alegeri în timp de pandemie Volum VIII, Nr. 4 (30), Serie nouă, septembrie-noiembrie 2020 1 POLIS Revista POLIS ©Facultatea de Ştiinţe Politice şi Administrative Universitatea „Petre Andrei” din Iaşi ISSN 12219762 2 SUMAR EDITORIAL 5 Do elections facilitate the fight against the COVID-19 5 pandemic? Radu Gheorghe MAGDIN ANUL 2020. ALEGERI ÎN TIMP DE PANDEMIE 17 Alegeri şi referendumuri în timp de pandemie – 17 soluţii şi controverse din perspectivă comparată Radu CARP Partidul Național Liberal și supraviețuirea politică 27 Sabin DRĂGULIN Silvia ROTARU Cristalizare ideologică și apariția autoritarismului 53 concurențial Dragoș DRAGOMAN Din scârbă și infodemie: Alianța pentru Unirea 77 Românilor Sorin BOCANCEA INTERVIU 113 Vasileios Syros: „Instituțiile democratice bazate pe 113 încrederea socială sunt vitale pentru a face față pandemiei...” Interviu realizat de Sabin DRĂGULIN Cristian Preda: „Nu cred că pandemia ca atare a tranșat 121 rezultatul votului” Interviu realizat de Sorin BOCANCEA 127 VARIA Georges Sorel and Critical Anti-Utopianism 127 Antonis BALASOPOULOS Heidegger, nazismul și stânga franceză 145 Paul KUN 3 Activismul prin brand. Studiu de caz: campania eMAG 167 din 2019 Arthur SUCIU Strategia Uniunii Europene pentru Regiunea Dunării – o 179 cale subutilizată Andreea-Mădălina CIMPOEȘU RECENZII 191 Vocile rațiunii în timpul pandemiei 191 Silvia BOCANCEA Cu mintea mea de bărbat, despre o viață cât o lume 195 întreagă: Cu mintea mea de femeie Bogdan GHEORGHIȚĂ Note despre autori 199 Instrucţiuni pentru autori 205 Instructions to authors 208 4 Anul 2020. Alegeri în timp de pandemie EDITORIAL Do Elections Facilitate the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic? Radu Gheorghe MAGDIN Abstract: Many countries around the world held elections during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the topic of how the virus affected elections has been widely researched, the reversed question of how elections impact the way leaders respond to the pandemic has not drawn enough attention.This article aims to analyze whether elections facilitate or impede the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. By looking at both advantages and disadvantages, the paper finds that although elections can be efficient tools to keep politicians in check and can give incumbents who seek re-election higher incentives to provide an efficient response, elections can also foster increased polarization, political opportunism, and disinformation, weakening citizens’ trust in authorities and endangering the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Keywords: Covid-19, Elections, Impact, Pandemic. Introduction democratic system, and it is worth examining their effect on how the Recently, the topic of how the virus is tackled and to what extent Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their organization poses a challenge elections, in terms of whether they to the efficiency of the governmental could be held, the way they are intervention. Thus, this paper explo- conducted, but also relative to voters’ res whether the electoral process in intentions and elections results, has countries where 2020 has been an been predominantly analyzed by electoral year facilitates or impedes scholars. However, the reversed the fight against the pandemic, lo- question of how elections and the oking at the benefits and disadvan- subsequent electoral campaign impact tages that this democratic process can the ongoing battle against the Covid- have upon the efficiency of countries’ 19 pandemic has not been so closely response towards Covid-19. investigated.Free and fair elections Even though this paper will also have an enormous importance in the discuss ways in which elections 5 POLIS could hinder the fight against the midst of a pandemic is naturally Covid-19 pandemic, it does not related to officials’ accountability. suggest that elections or electoral Through elections, citizens can give campaigns should be cancelled. their opinion on how the incumbents Although electionscan be postponed have tackled the virus so far and can due to health concerns, with many choose to “punish” or “reward” them countries resorting to such measures, through voting, by keeping them in they can only be so for a while, as to power or ousting them. This refers to 1 ensure citizens’ safety. Holding regu- the retrospective voting mechanism , lar elections is essential for demo- according to which elections are pri- cratic accountability and for electoral marily a referendum on the incum- democracies more broadly. More- bents: before judging the alternative, over, discussing whether the combi- the voters must make a judgement on nation of a pandemic year with an whether theyare, overall, better off electoral year means that countries compared to the previous election. In have an advantage or a disadvanta- countries without an electoral year, it geon how the pandemic is tackledis can be harder for citizens to express not only a matter of assessingthe their satisfaction or dissatisfaction in good or bad luck countries had to large numbers and decide the tra- match the pandemic year of 2020 jectory of the response against with their electoral cycle. Most Covid-19. For example, the general importantly, the paperwishes to foster election that took place in New Zealand in October 2020 translated a discussion about ways in which po- into a landslide victory for the incum- tential disadvantages brought about bent party, with Prime Minister by holding elections during a Jacinda Ardern being re-elected and pandemic could be minimalized and her national and international image advantages could be maximized. 2 boosted . Indeed, many praised the This paper will unfold as follows: Prime Minister’s leadership style and First, it will discuss the reasons why the way the New Zealand govern- elections could facilitate the fight ment handled the pandemic, with the against the Covid-19 pandemic. Labor party reaching 55 percent ap- Second, it will seek to analyze the proval, while the opposition National negative impact that the electoral process could have upon the response Party had dropped to 29 percent, being their lowest rating in more than towards Covid-19. The last section 3 will conclude with the main take a decade . At the beginning of the aways of the discussion. year, polls predicted the election as being a tight one, with the opposition Whyelections could facilitate National Party holding a small lead, but their approval rating has steadily the fight against Covid-19 4 grown during the crisis . The first and most important Some may argue that this is due to advantage of holding elections in the the rally-round-the-flag effect5, when 6 Anul 2020. Alegeri în timp de pandemie during a crisis, incumbents see a rise needed to be able to control the in their popularity.In fact, studies spread of the virus and the economic showed that different leaders, be consequences. This is consistent with them liberals or populists, have seen the argument about voter myopia10: their support increasing6, However, the voters based their decision on the Brett Meyer has analyzed populist short-term, incentivizing politicians leaders’ responses to Covid-19 and to act strategically and focus their found interesting conclusions regar- policies and interventions so that they ding voters’ support7. According to produce significant effect in the him, populists who have downplayed election year; nonetheless, the nature the crisis, like Donald Trump, have of the pandemic, the relatively ex- faced public disapproval for their ogenous nature of the shock, means actions, but populists taking a serious that carefully staged policy intervene- response, regardless of their liberal or tions were less likely. Thus, the illiberal approach, like Viktor Orban present crisis does not allow for and Giuseppe Conte, have seen their delayed actions, and if officials fail to poll numbers increase.The presiden- take the necessary measures, the tial elections in the United States are result can be seen in a matter of days an illustrative example for this point. or weeks in infection numbers and With the highest voter turnout in over lost lives. In fact, especially during a century, Americans decided not to the first wave, citizens seemed to re-elect President Trump, with pre- prefer more drastic measures which vious polls showingthat only about a protected their health. For example, third of Americans approved of Amat et al. convincingly demonstrate Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 how the Covid-19 outbreak in Spain pandemic8. Also, a study by Baccini made citizens more willing to et al. finds that Trump would have sacrifice civil liberties to fight the likely won re-election if Covid-19 pandemic, as well as more supportive cases had been 5 percent lower9. of a strong leadership11.Moreover, in Another advantage of holding countries where there has been a elections during a crisis is that provisional government, elections politicians have higher incentives to can put an end to interim mandates provide a better response and and thus, provide more stability, promote better solutions to the which is needed for a centralized, de- pandemic because they know that cisive strategy against the coronavirus. their policies concerning this major Moreover, as the Covid-19 pan- health and economic crisis willprove demic transformed our normal inter- decisive when voters cast their actions into a health concern and ballots. Some may argue that exactly social distancing has become a because of how significant these fundamental measure in the fight policies are, politicians may avoid against the virus, digitalization unpopular measures which are within electoral systems, as in many 7 POLIS other spheres, has been carried out countries will have to seriously think (although this also led to accusations about organizing an election even in of voter fraud and the proliferation of the context of a pandemic. However, conspiracy theories, as we saw in the political leaders might use this recent US presidential elections). opportunity to try and manipulate the This way, many countries managed election date for when this might be to introduce innovative ways to hold more favorable to them, thus raising the elections whilst minimizing the questions of legitimacy and democracy.