Nicușor Dan: It has become extremely cheap to pay for a thousand voices to drown out a legitimate voice

“How do we ensure that the fundamental principle of democracy—one person, one voice, one vote—is upheld, while obviously preserving freedom of expression and freedom of association? Because we’re seeing that it has become extremely cheap to pay for a thousand voices to drown out a legitimate one,” Nicușor Dan said Tuesday at the “Rule of Law Forum.”

He pointed out that one of the major challenges for democracy is communication on social media.

The head of state also spoke about the importance of dialogue and compromise in reaching consensus, warning that a society in which each group remains in its own bubble cannot build functional democratic mechanisms.

“Both protest and outcry are legitimate democratic means, and they must be used. However, dialogue is also needed, and compromise is also needed to reach consensus,” the president stated.

Referring to the rule of law, Nicușor Dan said that it must be understood in terms of how institutions function, the level of corruption, and the ability of institutions to monitor and hold each other accountable in order to prevent abuses.