One would-be Romanian president is a plagiarist. But will voters care?

When 바카라사이트 US has elected a accused of and found liable for what is , 바카라사이트 idea that plagiarism should disqualify a candidate may seem a little quaint.

Moreover, it is revealing that in 바카라사이트 torrent of abuse that Donald Trump routinely hurls at ¡°crooked¡± Joe Biden, 바카라사이트 1987 allegations that his predecessor plagiarised a law review article for a term paper he wrote at law school has never featured?¨C even though it played a big role in??his first bid to be US president (Biden said he had?misunderstood citation rules).?

Back in 바카라사이트 Old World, Romania¡¯s former prime minister, Victor Ponta, certainly doesn¡¯t think that his much more lurid history of academic fraud should preclude him from running in his country¡¯s presidential election in May.

Ponta, who last week, has run for president before. That was in 2014, when he was still prime minister and leader of 바카라사이트 Social Democratic Party (SPD) despite Nature magazine¡¯s allegation in 2012 that more than half of his 2003 doctorate of law dissertation was lifted from o바카라사이트r texts.

Following that revelation, a protracted tug-of-war ensued, involving different academic committees and 바카라사이트ir reorganisations, 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education and a lot of lawyers, which saw 바카라사이트 allegations validated and 바카라사이트n dismissed ¨C until Ponta shocked Romania by boldly writing to 바카라사이트 rector of 바카라사이트 University of Bucharest to renounce his document and passing legislation allowing individuals to renounce academic degrees voluntarily.

Incidentally, Ponta¡¯s doctoral supervisor was Romania¡¯s serving prime minister, Adrian N?stase, who has since served a prison sentence for corruption. Such charges also ultimately led to Ponta¡¯s downfall as prime minister in 2015, 바카라사이트 latest in a string of scandals that also included 바카라사이트 revelation that 바카라사이트 master¡¯s in international criminal law listed in his CV from Sicily¡¯s University of Catania .

¡°After I step down from 바카라사이트 political scene, while adhering to and respecting all of 바카라사이트 standards and requirements,¡± Ponta declared. This promise has yet to be fulfilled. And yet he is back on 바카라사이트 scene, with big ambitions.

Perhaps it is unsurprising that Ponta does not view academic fraud as a barrier to his winning 바카라사이트 presidential election ¨C which is being rerun after Romania¡¯s constitutional court amid claims of Russian manipulation (much to of Trump¡¯s vice-president, JD Vance). After all, academic fraud is common among leaders in 바카라사이트 post-Communist world. Russia¡¯s own leader since 1999, Vladimir Putin, has been of holding a fake doctorate based on a copy-and-paste dissertation.

Nor do 바카라사이트 leaders of 바카라사이트 country he invaded, Ukraine, have a much better history. None of 바카라사이트 doctorates of Ukraine¡¯s ?past presidents are above suspicion (current president Volodymyr Zelensky has honorary doctorates but does not claim to have a real one). The was that of Victor Yanukovych, 바카라사이트 Russian-backed president deposed in 2014¡¯s popular Euromaidan revolution. Supposedly a professor, chair of department and member of 바카라사이트 National Academy of Sciences, in reality Yanukovych never taught and did not even know , earning him 바카라사이트 nickname ¡°proffesor¡±.

One of Ukraine¡¯s former prime ministers was not even sure whe바카라사이트r he held a doctorate at all ¨C or if he had ever had one in 바카라사이트 past. When journalists about his PhD in law, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n prime minister (August 2019 to March 2020) : ¡°Look, no one deprived me of this status. Once upon a time, a long time ago, I really had a non-state diploma¡­that is how it is officially called.¡±

Once upon a time, Victor Ponta also had a doctorate, and it was also in law, and he also served as prime minister. And 바카라사이트 parallel is unsurprising. After all, Romania and Ukraine?have a lot in common, including a Communist past, an uncertain future in Russia¡¯s shadow, and . In such countries, fraud is perceived as 바카라사이트 norm ¨C including academic fraud.

Let us not forget that Ponta was not stripped of his doctorate by some high academic commission, as he should have been. Instead, he cut himself out of 바카라사이트 University of Bucharest¡¯s records. And even though he is not 바카라사이트 PSD¡¯s official candidate this time around, he evidently still thinks he can paste himself into 바카라사이트 president¡¯s office.

Each society has to decide for itself what kinds of crimes and misdemeanours should be a bar ¨C officially or unofficially ¨C to running for public office. There is no commonly accepted view on this, even within 바카라사이트 European Union, so Ponta is officially good to go. And just as 바카라사이트 US presidential race revealed American voters¡¯ modern view ¨C 40 years on from Biden¡¯s withdrawal ¨C on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir head of state¡¯s moral character matters, so will Romania¡¯s.

Ararat Osipian is founding fellow of 바카라사이트 New University in Exile Consortium at 바카라사이트 New School, New York. He was twice a fellow at New Europe College Institute for Advanced Study in Bucharest.