President Klaus Iohannis stated on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities that the historic decision of January 24, 1859, was a conscious choice for our collective path. He emphasized that 2024, being an election year, holds significant importance, as the decisions made will shape Romania’s future. The President urged awareness that choices in this electoral year will impact the country’s course, emphasizing each vote as a commitment to our shared future.
“Today we mark 165 years since the founding moment of modern Romania. The election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as ruler of Moldavia and Wallachia achieved the de facto Union of the two principalities and represented the opening of an irreversible path. This was the essential step that made possible our national ideal, the unity of all Romanians, accomplished through the Great Union of Alba Iulia in 1918.
The union of the two Romanian principalities into one state was achieved by renouncing political pride, an exemplary way of putting the people’s interest above personal interests. Major diplomatic efforts were made at the time and there was financial support of an impressive scale through the active involvement of the great personalities of the time, who campaigned for the ideals of union across borders and strongly pleaded the national cause before the Great Powers.
This anniversary is not only a moment of retrospect, but also an opportunity to draw inspiration from the valuable lessons of the past to design a better future for our nation.
The historic decision of January 24, 1859 was a conscious choice of our collective course. In the spirit of solidarity, Romanians from the two principalities demonstrated then that unity is the force that transcends any challenge. The international context of those times was a difficult one, but the political class gave it, with intelligence and courage, a befitting response, placing the country above personal or party interests.
The year 2024 has, in turn, a special charge, being the year in which the elections for which we are called to the polls will shape the Romania of tomorrow. In today’s challenging world, it is essential that we responsibly exercise our democratic right to elect politicians who will serve the nation devotedly, just as our forefathers did.
In 1859, geopolitical conditions were difficult and the population had legitimate aspirations. Today, when Europe and the whole world are once again facing multiple challenges, citizens expect a clear and unequivocal direction from politicians, which will keep unchanged the direction towards prosperity, development and modernization that Romania has embarked on.
NATO membership and firm attachment to Euro-Atlantic values now provide us with the strongest possible security guarantees. At the same time, Romania is a veritable pillar of stability in an area marked by severe turbulence, with a solid economy, being engaged in an extensive reform process of the large public systems. All these large-scale projects must be continued, and that is why it is important to realize that the decisions we will make in this election year will influence the course of our country, and each vote represents a deep commitment to our common future,” the Romanian President said.
January 24, 2024 marks the 165th anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. In 2014, the Romanian Parliament adopted the draft law establishing that January 24 is a day off, according to the Labor Code.
This year’s program, on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities, includes military and religious ceremonies attended by the president and prime minister of Romania, at the events in Bucharest, and the Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă and leaders of the main opposition parties are in Iasi.