Romanian Main Opposition Party Attacked from Within and Without

The main opposition party - PSD - has recently appeared as a political formation under siege, being the target of attacks - from the media and not only - coming both from within and without. It is enough to think to the transcripts’ scandal, the defrauding of the elections, or the investigation of certain leaders over the allegedly illicit character of their wealth in order to have a rather complete image of the situation of the social-democrats.

If we add the offensive connected with the replacement of the speakers of the two Chambers of Parliament, or of the chairmen of some of the County Councils, then we can believe that the party of Messrs. Geoana-Nastase is subject to a major offensive, further to which, if it resists it will grow stronger and will re-launch in view of the future elections, and, if not, it will slowly but surely slip on the slope of decline. The removal of the all-dominating President, acquired since the revolution of December 1989 in the person of Ion Iliescu, has generated a dissipation of power in the social-democrat formation; coming from a weak platform and with a feeble personality, Mircea Geoana did not impose himself over the barons of the party. A state of competition and tension took birth immediately between him and the Executive President A. Nastase, with frequent public outbursts.

The attempts of the new President to impose himself through the thesis of removing the corrupts as a condition sine qua non for the re-launching of the party has met with major reactions and resistance. His move instead of conducting to deep evaluations and significant discharges had the effect of a boomerang: the case of Geoana’s mother in law, Margareta Costea, who seems to warn him: keep a low profile, because you are one of ours (meaning corrupt!). Even the attitude and the suspicions towards the dossier of the transcripts of the meetings of the PSD Standing Delegation show that some people are trying to detach themselves (such as Miron Mitrea) pushing into the ring people belonging to a certain group (such as Rodica Stanoiu or Florin Georgescu). Concurrently, it is obvious that resuming in this period certain themes which had already been discussed previously reveals the existence of powerful interests of a different type, coming from the current power. It is not difficult to notice, for instance, that the problem of the transcripts raised initially on November 23, 2004, in the middle of the electoral campaign, views people such as Florin Georgescu, who occupied a much coveted position of Vice President of the National Bank of Romania, or Rodica Stanoiu, who also holds a not negligible position, that of chairman of the Commission on petitions and abuses of the Senate.

Beyond the juridical scent which is tentatively imposed on them, or the attempt to exploit non-governmental organisations (headed however from the shadow by persons such as Minister of Justice Monica Macovei, or presidential counsellor Renate Weber), the character of political struggle is obvious. It is difficult for someone, somehow familiar with the matter he is, to believe that in all these cases investigated by the Prosecution Office the viewed persons will be finally charged and prosecuted. What is even more serious, Justice is used in such a way in order to stir the media campaign of the public disparagement, with the hope to strike in this way a political blow. Indubitably, in this swing of the games of all types - judicial, image, but with a political ending - all the (grim) facets of the Romanian political life are coming up. A fishy, incompetent political class, pushed only by personal or group interests, with political men who hate and pursue one another in the harsh fight over the bone of power. The sad image of a pack, in which the weak one is torn to shreds by the stronger one, but who knows, if necessary, to defend his fundamental interest: namely to benefit from his position in order to get rich, by cheating the electorate.

In spite of the concentrated attack coming from everywhere, PSD appears united enough, at least at the level of its leaders. The interior danger of breaking into pieces is little probable at this time, when any lonely baron would be easier to tear apart by the adversaries. Especially that the departure of one person would also mean the tearing away of a significant share of the local political clientele. At this moment we cannot make a correct evaluation of the victims and losses suffered by one party or another. It is only after the settlement of the latest objectives of the total conquest of the power by the current rulers that we can make a first evaluation.
by Mircea Dutu
Source: Nine O'Clock

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