General elections were held in Romania in December 1928. Immediately after acceding to power, the National Peasants' Party (NPP) prepared the next elections. The lists were filed before the local Courts before 26 November, while voting took place for the Chamber on 12 December, the Universal College of the Senate on 15 December, the local/county councils (Senate) on 17 December, and the Chamber of Industries and Commerce (Senate) on 19 December.
The elections were strongly contested by the National Liberal Party (NLP). The liberal papers ran articles like "Organised gangs led by those that are supposed to 'organise' the elections, attack people both in towns as in the country, without any fear of authority, on the contrary...".[1][2][3] On the other hand, the NPP press claimed that "Such elections have not yet been organised in our country. For the first time ever we can see with our own eyes truly free elections. Not a single quarrel, not a single pressure, not a single involvement of the law enforcing officers."[4]
The truth was somewhere in the middle. The Liberals were right in that the NPP misused the national budget to sponsor their own electoral campaign, as well as they abusively closed many local and county Councils (for instance, the decision of closing 23 local councils in a single county, Vlașca, was invalidated at the appeal, yet the elections have not been rerun).[5] On the other hand, the NPP also had their own piece of truth, in that liberty and peace was granted more than ever before in election times (the reputed historian Nicolae Iorga wrote in his journal, later to be published under the title of Memorii, for the date of 12 December a very short but relevant note: "Lifeless elections"; a similar note under the date of 15: "Dead calm elections for the Senate."), although there have been quite a few scandals, in particular during the campaign.[6]
^Senators proposed and, if necessary, elected by their own institutions
^Appointed senators provided for by special provisions of the constitution and electoral law, including the crown prince, generals, legally recognised religious leaders, generals, and academics.
References
^"Guvern de scurtă durată", Mișcarea, 13 December 1928
^"Revolverul în slujba... alegerilor", Viitorul, 7 December 1928
^"Alegeri în libertate și liniște", Foaia poporului, 16 December 1928
^Monitorul oficial, no. 1, 1 January January 1929, p44
^Iorga: Memorii: "Floarea, member of Peasant Party, came back badly injured at head. Like anyone coming from the 'Old Kingdom', the peasants had him well clubbed before sending him back home. One protopope yelled to him that nothing happened 'as long as he can still stand erect, this is what deserve those not voting for Maniu'." (December 17) or "Those coming from the Old Kingdom are raided in Ardeal. Poor peasants from Western regions would attack all the 'gentlemen', with no discrimination [of political views]." (November 26); Argetoianu: Memorii pentru cei de mâine, Amintiri din vremea celor de ieri: "We could not get into the country the whole 8 days we spent in Giurgiu. Whichever village we tried to enter, we have been booed by the people, whereas the Mihalache's partisans raised their clubs upon us. [...] They were ugly, having enraged faces like the beasts devoid of any sign of Romanian character, and they continuously yelled 'Long live Maniu', 'Long live Mihalache', 'Down with Brătianu'! I still think that I barely escaped a beating only because I was entirely unknown to them, these Bulgarian half-breeds".
