EVZ EDITORIAL: Empathy in the campaign

Florian Bichir: "A study made by eJobs between May 28-June 8 revealed that the ideal mayor must be a leader of the local community and a good administrator."

Obviously, the clichees which are haunting in the last years: 36% of the respondents asked that the mayor should be "more present", accusing the mayors of habitual absence, and over two thirds (68.57%) are considering that the main advantage which comes after obtaining the mayor seat is "the satisfaction that he could do something for the community".

In a surprising fashion, those who took part at the study said that they want a "humane" mayor, 27% of them considering that he must show empathy towards his fellow citizens, while 20.23% believe that the mayor mustn't be necessarily educated, but rather to be "a man of good faith, and mannered".

This perception shows the fact that Romanians believe that their mayor is a bureaucrat, a man drowned in papers, for who the people don't count. A devourer of souls who dreams only utilities, concrete, curbs and this sort of things.

Left by the administration like an orphan, the electorate feels the need of reality intuition through affective identifying, because this means empathy. It's hard to define this desire of a humane mayor. Maybe a kind of careful father, a mayor who can be a confessor, a mother of the wounded. Certain is that the alienation of the politicians thrown in administration led to the birth of this feeling. Of desolation, of the mayor who is present every four years and who is looking at his fellow citizens like to some simple beings who are pointlessly making shadow to the ground. And are even asking for solutions for the problems.

Sorin Oprescu's success can result from this empathy. In numerous times, the Doctor appealed to those he had operated, he had saved. He appeared like he was the apprentice of the Holy Wonder Makers Cosma and Damian, doctors without silvers. The wet sight, his victimization sketched the portrait of an administrative Mesia. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have solutions, he is hurting after the people of Bucharest.

Obviously that in politics, but mostly during the electoral campaigns is a lot of theater, and the Doctor played his part well. He seemed an IATC graduate compared to Vasile Blaga, who, rigid and scrupulous, gave solutions. It's hard to say who will be voted by the people: the soap-opera candidate or the bulldog with solutions? The eternal number 2 Murgeanu or father SAFI, Chiliman? The unknown Silaghi or the populist Piedone?

The campaign is under development, and the announced commemoration meetings of the Mineriad from June 13-14 1990 can change the electorate's perception. In front of the odious crimes and beatings to which the Bucharest inhabitants were submitted, in a few seconds any affective capital can be forgotten. When you find out that almost 200 people disappeared and around 4.000 were beaten, you can hardly believe in the noble friendship between Ion Iliescu and doctor Oprescu, based on clean leftist feelings. Now, the empathy card is played...