That German Charm

On the eve of the second round of presidential elections in Romania, the New York Times dedicates the article “Grim Romanians Brighten Over a German Connection” to the presumptive next prime-minister, Klaus Johannis, the mayor of Sibiu, a mid-sized Transylvanian city that has enjoyed an unlikely era of prosperity under his two successive mandates. Johannis is actually not German, but a Translylvanian Saxon, but that difference is of little importance to Romanians who have always been in awe of German efficiency, prosperity and orderliness, a fascination manifested mainly through impulsive purchase of German consumer products and a deep-seated desire (sometimes realized) to emigrate to Germany.

Johannis in one of his typical stern stances

“The Saxons, known in German as Siebenbürger Sachsen, are considered hard-working, precise and uncompromising, an attractive mixture in a country tired of mismanagement and corruption, and one of the hardest hit in Europe by the economic crisis. It also does not hurt that the country experienced some of its best moments under German kings more than a century ago, even though the monarchs were unrelated to the local German population.” – notes the New York Times.

President Basescu

Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s elections, Mr. Johannis may become Romania’s next prime-minister, the first independent prime minister running political government – a high-risk business, as he admits himself. In fact, Mr. Johannis was courted for the position by the incumbent, as well. President Basescu is said to have offered Johannis the position right after the first round, when it was unclear which way he would lean – Johannis is a member of the small, non-aligned German Forum.