Editorialist Cristian Tudor Popescu virulently criticized Dan Diaconescu’s party and his supporters on Romania TV on Wednesday night. Popescu says this type of electoral messianism was practiced by several political personalities in the last 20 years, such as Emil Constantinescu, Traian Basescu, Corneliu Vadim Tudor and Gigi Becali. The journalist added that only persons suffering from mental alienation would vote for characters like Dan Diaconescu and for his party PP-DD. Popescu stated that the Dan Diaconescu phenomenon is worrisome precisely because a lot of Romanians believe the talk-show host’s empty promises. “Had they been just a few it wouldn’t have been a problem. Their large number offers an image of the Romanian people’s psycho-political maturity in 2012. Because voting for a party with such a programme, with such a leader, a non-existing party that consists of a TV set, shows how much power of political judgment the Romanian people currently has. (…) One is frightened by the thought of what could happen if this outgrowth, this political tumor, ends up ruling Romania,” Cristian Tudor Popescu said.In reply, Dan Diaconescu stated that in spite of the journalist’s criticism his party will win the elections. He said PP-DD is a party of journalists and some of his candidates in local elections are Harvard graduates.
