Forms of Legitimacy in the Debates Concerning the Romanian Royalty in the First Post-December Years: Developments, Readings and Reinterpretations (in Romanian)

Autori

  • ALEXANDRU MURARU Research Assistant, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi,

Cuvinte cheie:

Legitimacy representations, King Michael of Romania, Debates, Royalty, Post-communism, Discourse

Rezumat

The article studies different representations of legitimacy as constructed in the debates on Romanian royalty in the first years after December 1989. By making use of historical – in terms of tradition and continuity – political and juridical arguments, the restoration of monarchy is legitimated or deconstructed in the debates of 1990-1991, which took place especially in media. King Michael’s forced abdication and the illegal instauration of the republic in 1947 are the main arguments in stating the historical legitimacy of royalty’s return. This form of legitimacy – the most widely spread at the time (having two central axes: historical tradition of monarchical state and the judicial matter of constitutional continuity) – came in opposition with the revolutionary (personal) and electoral (public) legitimacy of Ion Iliescu, the left-wing leader of the newly installed power in 1989. Two other types of legitimacy judicial and political were brought up in debates; the first one sustained by laws and the normative system while for the second, public will was the central element. Moral legitimacy was embraced only by a small part of the Romanian society. The central-right wing intellectuals saw King Michael as a continuator of the monarchical institution and royalty was seen as a method of morally reviving the Romanian society, while lacking a coherent political programme. Other legitimating arguments were social peace, the political neutrality of the head of the state, the guarantee of a national consensus, the need of rebuilding external credibility, as well as invoking the binomial legitimacy-credibility. The deconstruction of historical legitimacy was, in fact, one of the topics in the polemics embark upon in the 1990s publications. The monarchy restoration scenario was presented from a negative perspective. Therefore, the emergence of strong social conflicts, properties’ retrocession, but also new disputes concerning succession were brought into play. Other sources claimed the incompatibility of democratic regimes with the existence of a monarch.

Referințe

Barbu, D. (1999). Republica absenta: Politica si societate în România postcomunista. Bucuresti: Nemira.

Ciobanu, M. (1991). Convorbiri cu Mihai I al României. Bucuresti: Humanitas.

Ciobanu, M. (1994). Regele Mihai si exilul românesc [Prefata de Alexandru Zub]. Iasi: Princeps.

Dahl, R. A. (2000). Poliarhiile. Participare si opozitie [trad. de Mihaela Sadovschi]. Iasi: Institutul European.

Gosu, A. (2003). Tentativa gruparii Ratiu-Serdici de reorganizare a Comitetului National Român. Dosarele Istoriei, VII, 3(79).

Lipset, S. M. (1983). Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics (2nd ed.). London: Heinemann.

Mamina, I. (2004). Regalitatea în România. Bucuresti: Compania.

Muraru, A. (2010). Mesaje pe calea undelor. Elemente de hermeneutica în discursurile Regelui Mihai catre români (1948-1989). Analele Universitatii Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Serie noua, Stiinte Politice, V.

Murgescu, B. (coord.) (2001). Istoria României în texte, Bucuresti: Corint.

Nagel, T. (1987, Summer). Moral Conflict and Political Legitimacy. Philosophy and Public Affairs [Published by Blackwell Publishing], 16(3), 215-240.

Patapievici, H.-R. (1996). Despre viata, destin si nostalgie. În A. Savulescu, Regele Mihai: automobilist, mecanic, pilot profesionist, Bucuresti: Humanits.

Rothschild, J. (1977, Autumn). Political Legitimacy in Contemporary Europe. Political Science Quarterly [Published by The Academy of Political Science], 92(3), 487-501.

Suciu, A. (2009). Prefata la A. Muraru, Republica monarhica. Aportul familiei regale la integrarea euro-atlantica a României. Iasi: Junimea.

Valenas, L. (1999). Regele Mihai printre noi. Iasi: Ars Longa.

Zamfir, C. (1997). Legitimitatea guvernarii. În Raportul national al dezvoltarii umane – România. Bucuresti: Expert.

„CTP despre Piata Universitatii, mineriade si Iliescu” [Interviu cu jurnalistul Cristian Tudor Popescu realizat de Cristian Delcea si Mihai Voinea] (2010, 21 mai). Adevarul, 6168.

„CTP despre Piata Universitatii, mineriade si Iliescu” [Interviu cu jurnalistul Cristian Tudor Popescu realizat de Cristian Delcea si Mihai Voinea] (2010, 22 mai). Adevarul, 6169.

„Discursul Majestatii Sale Regele Mihai, la Clubul «Avenir et Démocratie» – «România, o strategie pentru viitor»” (1991, 30 mai). România Libera, Serie noua, XLIX, 14443(409).

„Interviu cu liderul Uniunii Armenilor din România, Varujan Vosganian” [Interviu realizat de Vera Maria Neagu] (1991, 22 ianuarie). România Libera, Serie noua, XLVIII, 14353(319).

„Numai restabilirea continuitatii constitutionale ne poate asigura tranzitia spre un stat de drept” [Interviu cu Vladimir Tismaneanu, realizat de Florin Gabriel Marculescu] (1990, 14 decembrie). România Libera, Serie noua, XLVIII(297).

Legitimacy (political). Enciclopedia Wikipedia. Accesat de la: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimacy_%28political%29 (23 iunie 2010).

Focseneanu, E. (1998). Istoria constitutionala a României: 1859-1991, Bucuresti: Humanitas.

Hertz, J. (1978, Apr.). Legitimacy: Can We Retreive It?. Comparative Politics [Published by Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York], 10(3), 317-343.

Weatherford, M. S. (1992, Mar.). Political Legitimacy. American Political Science Review [Published by American political Science Association], 86(1), 149-166.

Buchanan, A. (2002, Jul.). Legitimacy and democracy. Ethics, 112(4), 689-719.

Cosma, D. (1991, 11 ianuarie). Nulitatea actului de abdicare. Revista 22, II(1).

Bordeianu, C. D. (1991b, 13 martie). Monarhie sau Republica (I). România Libera, Serie noua, XLIX, 14388(354).

Dimitriu, P. (1991, 20 martie). Suveranul monarh si poporul suveran. Consideratii asupra controverselor privind monarhia în România. Adevarul, II(361).

Balota, N. (1991, 25 aprilie). De ce Regele?. România Libera, Serie noua, XLIX, 14419(385).

Bordeianu, C. D. (1991c, 10 mai). Monarhie sau Republica (II). România Libera, Serie noua, XLIX, 14429(395).

Cornea, A. (1991, 5-11 iulie). Doua tipuri de legitimitate. Revista 22, II(26).

Bordeianu, C. D. (1991a, 11 iunie). Monarhie sau Republica (III). România Libera, Serie noua, XLIX, 14451(417).

CFSN (1989, 22 decembrie). Comunicat catre tara [Privind înfiintarea Consiliului Frontului Salvarii Nationale]. Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, 1, 22/12/1989. Accesat de la: http://ro.wikisource.org/wiki/ Comunicatul_care_anun%C5%A3%C4%83_constituirea_CFSN (23 iunie 2010).

Andon, S. (1990, 28 decembrie). Botezul mortului. Gînduri catre ex-monarhul Mihai. Adevarul, I(306).

Dimu, I. (1990, 28 decembrie). Sire. Adevarul, I (306).

Stefoi, E. (1993, 24-30 decembrie). Republica sau monarhie – o problema de seriozitate civica [Dialog între Andrei Pippidi, Razvan Teodorescu, Dan Berindei si Nicolae Serban Tanasoca, moderat de Andrei Plesu]. Dilema, I(50).