ZIARUL „CONSTITUȚIUNEA” ȘI RECONFIGURAREA CONSERVATORISMULUI IEȘEAN LA ÎNCEPUT DE NOU REGIM POLITIC (1866)

The journal “Constituțiunea” (“The Constitution”) was published in Iași, the former capital of the Moldavian principality, on September 24/October 6, 1866, several months after Prince Charles I had begun his reign and a new constitution had been adopted. The journal was edited by a committee formed by local conservatives, just before the first general elections of the new regime. Among its members were experienced politicians, like Grigore Mihail Sturdza, son of Mihail Sturdza, reigning Prince of Moldavia between 1834 and 1849 (and himself a former pretender to the throne), or several former members of the governments in Iași and Bucharest. Beside them, the little “party” included young members of the literary society “Junimea”. The committee adopted a political program combining elements of conservatism and regionalism, aspiring to represent all like-minded electors in Moldavia. However, its ideas had little impact outside of Iași, and its electoral results were modest. “Constituțiunea” ceased to appear on December 14/26, 1866. Nevertheless, the alliance between the “old” conservatives and the members and sympathizers of “Junimea” survived and became one of the defining elements of local politics (managing to gain considerable influence nationwide as well), for more than a decade after the regime change in 1866.