President Nicusor Dan warned on Tuesday about the power of social media, saying that it is becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive to mobilise large numbers of voices to drown out a legitimate opinion.

'Democracy is facing a challenge which, in my view, is its also the strongest one: communication on social media. I am not talking about content; I want to talk only about quantity. How can we ensure that the fundamental principle of democracy - one person, one voice, one vote - is upheld, while also preserving freedom of expression and freedom of association? We are seeing that it has become extremely cheap to pay for 1,000 voices to drown out one legitimate voice. I believe this is an issue that each of us, as people concerned about democracy and the rule of law, needs to reflect on,' the head of state said at the Rule of Law Forum.

Referring to the rule of law, Nicusor Dan said that the concept might seem abstract, but that it translates into 'whether institutions function or fail to function', citizens' satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and the existence of mechanisms through which institutions hold one another to account in order to prevent abuses.

'It seems to me that the expression ‘rule of law' sounds extremely abstract in Romanian. Perhaps the rule of law is something much more accessible. That would be the first message: that the rule of law is reflected in whether institutions function or fail to function, whether citizens are satisfied or dissatisfied with how institutions operate, and whether there is corruption, little corruption or no corruption. The question is how we can create a society in which institutions monitor and scrutinise one another, preventing abuses and helping each other function better,' the president said.

The head of state also said that the rule of law could not exist without society aspiring to establish mechanisms that fairly regulate relations between individuals, the state and institutions.

'Both protest and raising one's voice are legitimate democratic means and should be used. However, dialogue and compromise are also necessary to achieve consensus, because otherwise we end up with a bubble of our own, with its own shouting,' he said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)

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