Independent Deputy Dan Pasat announced the Standing Bureau about his affiliation to PDL, while the Social-Democrat Ioan Damian to the group of the independents, the secretary of the Chamber of Deputies, Sever Voinescu announced yesterday, quoted by Agerpres. According to the information filed with the Standing Bureau, Dan Pasat is active in PDL since February 4, while Ioan Damian since February 3 in the group of the independents. Dan Pasat was elected on the electoral lists of PNL, from October until November 2009 he acted in PDL, and then in the group of independents.

Dan Pasat is known for his lack of decision, the media comment. In less than six months he left the National Liberal Party (PNL) while being lawmaker to join the Democrat-Liberals (PDL). After two months with the PDL group in the Chamber of Deputies he left this party to join the independents’ group led by Gabriel Oprea. Now he re-joins the democrat-liberals again....

Adrian Nastase announced on Monday at the end of the Permanent National Bureau meeting that both the representation criteria and the number of delegates at the Congress will be established at the end of bilateral talks that Liviu Dragnea, the party’s secretary general, is expected to hold with party branch leaders. The talks could take place this week.

According to Nastase, some party branch leaders are not satisfied with the number of delegates and with the selection criteria, asking for the latter to include the results registered in the first round of Presidential elections, those registered in the runoff or the ones registered in the latest elections in general. Nastase stated that from this point of view the most important thing is the absence of ‘backstage games’ ahead of the party elections scheduled next week. ‘I want there to be no backstage games; I want there to be no need to set up an inquiry commission on the way the voting took place. I...

PD-L MEP Cristian Preda announced yesterday on his blog that both he and his colleague Monica Macovei decided to renounce posting their proposed changes to the party’s Statute, because no other Democrat-Liberal has done so.

“Because the other colleagues from PDL who voiced an opinion about the statute of the party did not make public the given documents and made no public statements, I agreed with Monica Macovei we too should refrain from unveiling our text,” Preda explains. He argues that it would not have been correct to proceed this way, especially as talks in the commission for the statute have moved forward in several aspects.

In his last post on the blog, Preda reiterates his criticism against PNL, a party that he accuses of “faking a right-wing stance, in the name of a claimed origin in the mythological pre-communist tradition.”

“Let’s not forget that PNL consolidated its post ‘89 imposture by...

Lazaroiu: Manolea was in the ‘enlarged’ campaign staff of Basescu

Presidential adviser Sebastian Lazaroiu states in an interview given to the daily ‘Gandul’ that he heard for the first time about the theory of the “violet flame” between the two rounds of the presidential elections, at the time of the negotiation of the debate between the two candidates for Thursday. Lazaroiu says that he was called by a leader from the PSD staff who mentioned him this theory. The adviser says that the story connected with the presence of the parapsychologist Aliodor Manolea in President Basescu’s team was “much amplified” by the media. He recognizes that Manolea was in the staff of Traian Basescu, but not in the “restricted nucleus,” he was in the “enlarged team” of 50-70 persons. Asked if the Head of State believes in parapsychology, Lazaroiu answered dryly: “I don’t know, we have never talked...

PSD leader Mircea Geoana declared yesterday that it is a must to adapt the national security strategy to the new conditions created after the announcement of the administration from Bucharest that the antimissile shield elements will be hosted on the national territory.

Geoana also stressed that PSD Vice-president Cristian Diaconescu, about whom he said that he has a great international experience, will deal in this moment, on behalf of his formation, with the adaptation of the national security to the new conditions, and also with related issued, regarding the national security laws, the role of the intelligence services in Romania, the criteria of Romania’s participation in the operations theaters.

“We consider the Bucharest administration’s decision – that Parliament will have to approve or amend – is the beginning of a compulsory discussion between us and the citizens of Romania, because, when we speak about so important elements,...

PSD’s fate as the Romanian democratic left-wing’s sole party affects the structural balance of the political stage in Romania and because of that it concerns us all. In the following period PSD’s main problem won’t be Traian Basescu, PD-L or PNL, but PSD itself.

Any organism reproduces according to its genetic program, passing on its traits to its descendants. For a change to occur a mutating factor is needed. In what concerns PSD, it has ended up being a regional party without a territory, an army led not by general staff members but by frontline generals. Since such a political operator cannot plan on the long-term and cannot coalesce the electorate around a strategy that has a clear ideological identity, PSD stakes on the negative vote.

The working concept of such a party is based on two theses. One of it concerns internal order and affirms the local party leaders’ preference for a national-level leadership that they can control....

For those that did not understand at the right time the geopolitical stakes of the Presidential elections, February 4 offered another chance to figure out what camp each of the primadonnas of Romanian politics serves. The American President’s invitation for our country to take part in the missile shield, the prompt acceptance given by the Supreme Defence Council as well as the series of internal and external political statements that followed tell us exactly what is the great gain of the December 2009 elections, but mostly what would have been in store for us if their result would have been the opposite.

Although they are no longer in conflict as they were back in the days of the Cold War, Russia on the one hand and the United States, NATO and the EU on the other hand have their own interests in this region. Most of them are divergent, which makes Romania one of the battlefields where the two spheres of influence collide.

However, the way in which the two...

PNL first Vice-president Ludovic Orban declared yesterday that PNL requests the Justice Minister, CSM and President of Romania to dismiss the prosecutor general Laura Codruta Kovesi for issuing “illegally” the decision to not begin the criminal pursuit (NUP) of minister Elena Udrea. “We shall appeal to the President of Romania, CSM and the Justice Minister with the clear request to remove from office, dismiss the prosecutor general Laura Codruta Kovesi,” Orban said. He stated that the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies adopted a resolution through which it requested the Legal Commission to take a stand within 15 days over the request to begin the criminal pursuit against Elena Udrea, formulated by the investigation commission, without notifying the Prosecutor’s Office about the deeds of the PDL...

The make-up errors and spineless practices of Romanian parties have led them, in the midst of recession, straight into a trap.

Tributary to the bad habit of governing according to the polls (when, in fact, polls should only test responses to the government act) and noticing that the Government’s policies are not popular, the opposition announced that it would promote a no-confidence vote. As they announced it, they have to go through with it! Otherwise they will lose their credibility. Thus, parties act guided by deeds, or, in fact, by words, rather than by a sensible will.

What happens if the Government is brought down? Suppose president Basescu did go along with early elections, these will be organized by the Government dismissed from office. There’s no doubt Mr. Blaga is ready for this course of action and Mr. Olteanu will, yet again, compliment him on his performance! If, however, the present opposition secures the parliamentary vote of confidence, we will have...

The strategic partnership between Romania and Poland, already established on political level, will be consolidated this autumn with a roadmap, which will be signed by both countries’ prime ministers, FM Teodor Baconschi said yesterday in a joint press statement with his Polish counterpart Radoslav Sikorski.

“We also have the intention to achieve a more systematic coordination in European affairs, especially that we are coming closer to the moment when Poland will take over the rotating EU presidency. From this point of view, the 2020 Strategy, energy security, the European Danube Strategy, the European External Action Service and especially the Eastern Partnership’s efficiency are topics of utmost concern,” Baconschi said, quoted by Mediafax.

Sikorski shared Baconschi’s opinion and confirmed that the two countries’ joint strategy is almost ready and will be officially passed soon, possibly when prime ministers Emil Boc and Donald Tusk meet to sign the roadmap. The...

According to sources quoted by ‘Jurnalul National,’ last week’s government reshuffle has displeased President Traian Basescu and the PDL faction centered on Elena Udrea. They are allegedly preparing to leave the party next spring. Their destination could be UNPR, the People’s Party or a newly-formed party. That is how ‘Jurnalul National’ explains the persistence with which Presidential adviser Sebastian Lazaroiu has talked about Dan Diaconescu’s party as being one that has more than 20 per cent in opinion polls or a “snow-white” party, meaning a party that will win the future elections given the fact that it is unstained by the government’s poor image.

The aforementioned sources claim that after Premier Emil Boc refused to file his resignation last Thursday morning President Traian Basescu allegedly exclaimed “From now on you are on your own!.” According to information published by ‘Jurnalul National,’ Traian Basescu had allegedly convinced Mugur Isarescu to become Prime...

The Social Democrat Party will file a complaint against Democrat Liberal Party Vice President Ioan Oltean for the statements he made concerning his party’s control over the Internal Affairs Ministry during the last presidential elections, Agerpres informs.

According to press information, during a joint meeting held by PDL’s parliamentary groups, Oltean allegedly said that the Democrat-Liberals would not have won the elections had Social-Democrat Dan Nica remained Internal Affairs Minister. “We have to admit that if we wouldn’t have thrown the frog out of government we wouldn’t have won the elections. Do you think we would’ve won the elections had Nica remained Internal Affairs Minister? No… we wouldn’t have won the elections with Nica Internal Affairs Minister,” Oltean allegedly said.

He subsequently condemned the leaks to the press and explained that what he wanted to say was that PDL is the only party he trusts to organize fair elections. “I condemn those that...

PNL to submit regular motion on labour

Opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) is going to submit a regular motion on labour matters in Parliament, party leader Crin Antonescu announced after the PNL Central Standing Bureau meeting yesterday, according to Mediafax. “What we are interested in as policies is that they give up on this aberration produced in what regards royalties. Whether or not it means that the minister in charge should leave or be ousted is a less important matter,” Antonescu said. Liberals’ intention to introduce a motion had been actually announced before the labour minister was dropped in reshuffle. Labour Minister Mihai Seitan was replaced by Nelu Ioan Botis in last week’s cabinet reshuffle. PNL spokesman Mihai Voicu stated, on Friday, that the party would still submit a motion on the measures taken by the Labour Ministry, noting the action was not targeted at individuals, but at policies. Also yesterday, the Social-Democrats said they would...

President Traian Basescu wrote a letter to Parliament speakers yesterday, expressing his wish to hold a speech before a joint session of both chambers on September 21, on issues related to internal politics, according to a press release from the presidential administration. “Given work agenda conditions, I propose to you the date of September 21, 2010, at a time you are free to set yourselves,” the president wrote in his letter to Senate Speaker Mircea Geoana and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase. The letter makes no mention of what internal politics matters the president wishes to...

Polish FM in working visit to Romania

Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski will pay a working visit to Romania on Monday, where he is set to meet his Romanian counterpart Teodor Baconschi, the Poland Foreign Affairs Ministry’s website informs. Sikorski and Baconschi will talk about a series of bilateral issues, including cooperation, regional policies and energy security, but also about important multilateral issues such as the NATO and EU agenda, Eastern policy and the financial crisis. The Polish Minister will also meet Romanian President Traian Basescu and Speaker of the Senate Mircea Geoana. According to a communiqué that the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry remitted on Saturday to Mediafax, during their talks the two Foreign Affairs Ministers will evaluate the ongoing bilateral projects and the stage of negotiations on the Action Plan for putting the Strategic Partnership into practice. According to the aforementioned source, the meeting’s agenda...

ECONOMY MINISTER IOAN ARITON, born in 1956, is a trained economist. He has had various public offices in Sibiu, including as a prefect and member of the local council. He is now a Senator and leader of the Democrat Liberal Party’s branch in Sibiu. His name was mentioned in a financial scandal related to Petrom Sibiu losses, but he was cleared of any suspicions.

FINANCE MINISTER GHEORGHE IALOMITIANU, born in 1959, is an expert accountant, financial specialist and economics professor, representing a Brasov constituency in the Chamber of Deputies, on behalf of the Democrat Liberal Party. He was vice president of the chamber’s budget, finance and banks committee before being named finance minister.

TRANSPORT MINISTER ANCA BOAGIU, born in 1968, held this position before in 2000. She was also minister of European integration in 2005-2007. In the current Parliament tenure, 2008-2012, she is a Bucharest senator on behalf of the ruling Democrat Liberal...

Main opposition parties reiterated their belief that the government reshuffle will not actually solve the country’s problem and announced that they were moving on with plans to file a no-confidence vote soon. Democrat Liberals meanwhile say no such motion has any chances to succeed this year and hint that another reshuffle might be operated in a few months.

SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER VICTOR PONTA said on Friday that the reshuffle was only a “skirmish between mafia groups inside PDL” and underlined that the opposition is determined to focus on the upcoming no-confidence vote and on assuring a new Parliament majority. He described Sebastian Vladescu’s removal from the finance minister position as a “stupid” act, coming only a month before the release of the 2011 budget and amid negotiations with the international Monetary Fund and the European Commission. He added that the reshuffle was only a “first stage” in the political battle inside PDL.

CONSERVATIVE PARTY...

The six new ministers appointed to PM Emil Boc’s cabinet in a reshuffle that saw influential ruling Democrat Liberal Party members replaced and changes at the top of key ministries, such as finance, economy and labour, were sworn in at the presidential palace on Friday. The six ministers – Ioan Botis (Labour), Valerian Vreme (Communications), Valeriu Tabara (Agriculture), Ioan Ariton (Economy), Anca Boagiu (Transports) and Gheorghe Ialomitianu (Finance) – detailed their priorities on the job, most of them declaring their intention to continue what their predecessors began. They were urged by President Traian Basescu to support and explain to the people that austerity measures are needed next year as well.

Ialomitianu, who took over the finance minister post from Sebastian Vladescu, said the position is “very tough, in a very tough time.” He said he thinks himself ready for this position or else he would not have accepted it and he underlined that his main priority would be to...

Romania’s foreign policy in relation to Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova was debated by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commentators and members of the civil society, on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi said Romania would need to return towards R. Moldova not using the tone of colonial repossession, but showing respect for the statehood of its Eastern neighbour.

“We need to return there not with the tone of colonial repossession, but showing respect for their statehood. Of course, the two consulates we have just opened there, as well as the Eminescu Institute I hope will open on the eve of this third European meeting in support of R. Moldova are all examples of a return of Romanian presence in Chisinau,” the chief Romanian diplomat said. He added that Romania actually has more expectations from Moldova than the other way around. “We have started to reanalyse the promises we have made to the people of Moldova, such as a smoother citizenship...

The president told Romanian ambassadors convening in Bucharest that the state is forced to further pursue the austerity policy. “All the money we will borrow will go to consumption. This cannot be, we also need money for investments,” Basescu underlined.

Traian Basescu also advised the diplomats not to let themselves fooled by the “televised mood”: “For those of you who will be asked any questions, your answer has to be: ‘Romania needs to pursue its adjusting programme’. The core problem lies in the state budget. If you remember, once upon a time there was the 2007-2008 year, when there was an effervescence of raising pensions and wages. When the wages of the diplomatic corps were raised, I warned there were no resources. I launched the same warning when pensions were doubled over night,” he added.

The president stated that he, for one, would call for greater austerity: “I want you to understand why I will continue to call for enhanced austerity. Without it, there...

The new Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Martin Harris, yesterday presented his credentials to President Traian Basescu, to whom he addressed in the Romanian language. Martin Fergus Harris was appointed as ambassador to Bucharest after Robin Barnett’s appointment had expired. Martin Harris is a professional diplomat, having worked for the Foreign Office since 1991. Over time, Harris has been in a number of different positions, including deputy head of mission and general consul in Kiev and first secretary in Moscow. Martin Harris chose to wear a kilt for the ceremony that took place at the Cotroceni Palace, Mediafax informs. The new Ambassador of Pakistan, Rab Nawaz Khan, also presented his letter of credence to the Romanian president, while the Ambassadors of the Philippines, Isaias F. Begonia, and of Iran, Hamid Reza Arshadi, were seen by the head of state at the end of their appointment....

After spending the entire summer either trading barbs or making peace offerings, opposition Social Democrats and Liberals on Wednesday finally agreed to act together in order to oust the current cabinet. The two main opposition parties, with backing from the smaller Conservative Party, will file a joint no-confidence vote this parliamentary session and have agreed on setting up a crisis government if the motion gets through.

Apparently each of the two parties had to make some concessions to reach a common goal, according to press reports yesterday. Daily ‘Adevarul’ noted that Social Democrats gave up their idea of having a monochrome cabinet with a PSD prime minister and accepted Liberals’ plan to have an independent PM.

Initially, PSD leader Victor Ponta said his party would think about this option, but Liberal sources quoted by the newspaper said the Social Democrats will soon make an official announcement that they accept an independent PM, as PNL leader Crin...

Agriculture Minister Mihail Dumitru, Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu and Labour Minister Mihai Seitan confirmed yesterday that they would be replaced from the current cabinet, as part of a much anticipated government reshuffle which several Democrat Liberals however slammed as being insufficient.

The official announcement was expected after a meeting of the ruling party’s Leading College and lawmakers later yesterday.

Dumitru, Vladescu and Seitan had a meeting with PM Emil Boc at Victoria Palace yesterday after informal talks on the matter at the PDL headquarters. The situation was unclear as regards Transport Minister Radu Berceanu and Economy Minister Adriean Videanu, whom Boc did not want to see replaced.

Sources quoted by HotNews said that during the Leading College meeting, Boc eventually gave in to pressure and agreed to sack the two as well, along with Communications Minister Gabriel Sandu. A possible replacement for Berceanu would be Anca...

Bucharest’s budget may double if district mayor’s offices are dissolved, under a draft law on the capital’s administrative reorganisation promoted by the Interior Ministry, daily ‘Romania libera’ reported. “The City Hall budget is currently EUR 1.3 bln but the budgets of all six districts reach a total of EUR 1.7 bln. The new Bucharest would mean a total budget of EUR 3 bln,” said Save Bucharest Association’s programme director Nicusor Dan. District 6 Mayor Cristian Poteras also claims that by administrative centralisation, the capital’s budget would amount to 35 per cent of all other counties’ budgets.

According to the 2010 budget, the wealthiest administration in Bucharest is Sector 1 (run by Liberal Andrei Chiliman), with incomes of RON 1.327 bln. The second place is taken by Democrat Liberal Liviu Negoita’s District 3, with total incomes of RON 772 M. District 6, run by Democrat Liberal Cristian Poteras, comes next, with RON 739 M, followed by District 2 (independent...

At a press conference held in Bucharest, on Wednesday, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mevlut Cavusoglu, stated that Romania’s efforts in the area of judicial reform and fight against corruption are insufficient. Cavusoglu added that PACE demands Romanian authorities continue such efforts. The PACE president wanted to encourage Romanian authorities to step up anti-graft efforts and, in particular, to reform wealth watchdog National Integrity Agency as soon as possible. He urged that judicial reforms be continued and that authorities should try to reduce the number of cases ending up before the European Court of Human Rights.

During his visit to Bucharest, Cavusoglu met with several Romanian officials, including President Traian Basescu, FM Teodor Baconschi and Parliament speakers Roberta Anastase and Mircea Geoana.

Basescu thanked the PACE president for his stance on the matter concerning the situation of Romanians and...

The Romanian general consul in Sydney, Marius Dragolea, has been recalled from post under a government decision published in the Official Journal on Tuesday, Agerpres reports. The decision adopted on Monday stipulates that Dragolea would conclude his mission in the Australian city within 90 days. Dragolea had been heading the General Consulate of Romania since March 2006, when he replaced Ovidiu Grecea in that...

The autumn parliamentary session started yesterday under a fairly tense spectre, with MPs’ activity being influenced by the announced no-confidence vote but also by the possible reshuffling of the current government, a reshuffle that will surely stir up the ruling parties. Moreover, the current session will also witness political migrations, with several Democrat-Liberals quitting the party or Independent MPs set to join PSD or PNL.

Other opposition representatives chose to join the independent group, like the Liberal Senator Constantin Cibu, who announced yesterday his resignation from PNL and adhesion to the independents.

As a consequence of the camps’ positioning within the Senate a resumption of PDL’s attacks against Social-Democrat Mircea Geoana’s Speaker of the Senate office is also expected. The Democrat-Liberals have kept trying to topple Geoana but they have not succeeded. Despite some frictions within PSD, the party’s group within the Senate remains...

Prime Minister Emil Boc was expected to present a review of the activity of each Cabinet member, as yesterday was the deadline which President Traian Basescu set for the re-evaluation of ministers’ performance. The meeting of the Democrat Liberal Party (PDL)’s parliamentary groups with the party’s National Standing Bureau was scheduled to take place at the Chamber of Deputies, starting 19:00, and, by the closing of this edition, no information reached us of the results of the meeting. The present Cabinet convened, however, in a prior meeting, before which the Minister of Development, Elena Udrea, stated that the Boc Cabinet is a capable one, but that “there’s room for improvement.”

Scenarios circulating in the past days come up with various make-ups for the Government, but there is a possibility that PM Boc will conclude that all the ministers in his Cabinet have done a good job. As a matter of fact, on Tuesday meeting, in the Cabinet meeting, the prime minister adopted a...