This Sunday, legislative elections will be held in Romania. Like the outcome of the American election and the Brexit referendum showed, voters are also looking for a change – but it’s a stale, nostalgic kind of change. Voters want things to be like they imagine they were in the past. That’s no different in Romania.
Being a photographer, I’ve spent the past few months attending the rallies of different political parties in Romania, looking for a common aesthetic among people who hope to take power and the people who support them. I took the pictures below in November, at a rally of the People’s Movement Party in Arad, in West Romania. The party is relatively new – this is the first time they run in a legislative election – but its founder and leader is very familiar with Romanian politics. Traian Băsescu served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014, and he now hopes to become Prime Minister. He was considered a controversial leader, yet that didn’t stop hundreds of people from showing up to the rally to show their support.
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See more of Ciprian Hord’s work on his website and his Instagram account.
Traian Băsescu, former president of Romania and leader of the People’s Movement Party
Silviu Timofte, a candidate for Romanian Parliament
Two ladies who came to see the former president
The man on the right is a parliamentary candidate in these elections
Women in traditional Romanian garb came to greet the former president
The former Romanian president socialising with a young boy. He was accused of hitting a child during his mayoral campaign
A local party leader and his bodyguard
A supporter
Florin Remețan, leader of the local chapter of the People’s Movement Party
Eugen Tomac, executive president of the party
A parliamentary candidate
Petru Gherman, another parliamentary candidate
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