After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Stephan Büchi applied for a short-term assignment in a Romanian children’s home. This turned into a lifelong commitment to disadvantaged people and a democratic society. “I’m very worried about my second home,” Büchi says. The morning after the first round of the Romanian presidential elections, we meet in a coffee house not far from the headquarters of the national electoral authorities. “The rise of extreme forces is not a good sign,” he says, worry lines etched into his face, which seconds later raises a little smile. “But knowing the Romanians, they’ll overcome this crisis too,” he says. Büchi, a 65-year-old Swiss citizen, spends half his time in Romania and half in Switzerland. Controversy surrounds election of new head of state On November 24, 2024, almost 19 million Romanians in and outside the country were expected to elect a successor to President Klaus Iohannis, who has been in office since 2014. In the first round of voting, the ...
