Romanians voted Stefan of Moldova the Greatest Romanian of all time

Stefan III of Moldova, also known as Stefan the Great, Prince of Moldova between 1457-1504, was voted “the Greatest Romanian” of all time, following a campaign called “Great Romanians” and conducted by the “TVR” channel. Stefan the Great gathered about 77 thousand votes (21.3%), out of over 363 thousand valid votes. The final showdown took place Saturday, October 21. Carol I of Romania ranked second, with over 52 thousand votes (14.42%) and Mihai Eminescu came third, gathering 50 thousand votes (13.92%). “Top 10” continues as follows: 4th – Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave); 5th – Richard Wurmbrand; 6th – Ion Antonescu; 7th – Mircea Eliade; 8th – Alexandru Ioan Cuza; 9th – Constantin Brancusi; and 10th – Nadia Comaneci. The project “Great Romanians” aroused arguments since its very beginning – how “the Great Romanians” will be selected and why certain names are missing from the list. Surprises came out in “Top 10” and “Top 100” as well. The most stunning entry in the top 10 was the evangelical Christian minister Richard Wurmbrand, less known in Romania because of his work to aid Diaspora. The explanation came with the communities’ animation to support their choice. Other surprises: dictator Causescu ranked 11th and the controversial politician and businessmen Gigi Becali – 13th. Launched on May 27, the national-wide campaign has challenged the TV viewers over 5 months to select the most notorious Romanians of all time. The series unfolded in two stages: the nominations and the final voting. “Great Romanians” is the Romanian incarnation of the BBC series “Great Britons”. At present the British company works on a project which would involve the winners of the countries that took up the programme. Similar shows were a success in the USA, France, Germany, Finland, Canada, Holland, the Czech Republic, and South Africa. Americans named Ronald Reagan “the greatest”, Sir Winston Churchill was declared the greatest Briton, and France picked Charles de Gaulle as its greatest citizen.