Translated material
Mititei to choose from
Well-fed Romanian voters will be offered a ready-made prime minister
On Sunday, Romanian citizens will elect a new parliament for the next four years. About three thousand candidates are fighting for 315 seats in the lower house of deputies and 137 in the upper chamber (Senate). In order to tighten the selection of deputies and increase the efficiency of parliament, elections will for the first time be held not according to party lists, but in single-mandate constituencies.35 political parties and associations are participating in the election race. According to the latest opinion polls, the pro-presidential Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the bloc of the Social Democratic and Conservative parties are alternately in the lead with 33-34%. In third place is the ruling National Liberal Party (21%). Each of them has already named their future prime minister. From the LDP this is former Prime Minister Teodor Stolojan. From the Social Democrats - the current leader of the party, Mircea Geoana. From the National Liberals - the current Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.
However, apparently, none of the parties will receive a parliamentary majority, and President Traian Basescu is already threatening to appoint “his” prime minister. In this capacity, the name of former Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, whom the president promoted to the post of head of one of the intelligence services - director of the Romanian Information Service, is increasingly being mentioned.
The election campaign is characterized by aggressiveness and pressure - from a competition for the best slogan (for example, “They are with them, we are with you!” from the LDP) to clashes between rival factions, tearing down propaganda posters and even cutting down enemy gardens. Bribery of voters has become a commonplace practice: Sunday tables with mititei (a dish of beef with vegetables) and beer for voters, “packages” with gifts and even cash. Three non-governmental organizations published a list of 137 “unscrupulous” candidates. The evaluation criteria included cooperation with the former secret police, the dubious nature of the fortune, conflicts of interest and frequent changes in political orientation.
However, the voting results are unlikely to lead to significant changes in Romania's foreign policy. The head of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Lazar Comanescu, told Vremya Novostey that “the elections may introduce some nuances, but the main directions of foreign policy remain the same.” This is membership in NATO and the European Union, strengthening the strategic partnership with the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany. According to our interlocutor, the “main line” in relations with Russia for Romania “is the continuation of dialogue based on pragmatism, which was characteristic of the previous period, the opening of new prospects for cooperation - in the economic field, but not only. Russia and Romania are countries in the Black Sea region, and we cannot strengthen regional security without dialogue with Russia.” Mr. Comanescu told VN: “A new intergovernmental agreement on economic, scientific and technical cooperation and an agreement on increasing investments are being prepared for signing. President Basescu's visit to Moscow remains on the agenda. The visit must be well prepared to have concrete results. The main thing is that there is a mutual desire to develop these relations.”
Speaking about Romania’s attitude to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal to create a new security system in Europe, Lazar Comanescu told VN that “first of all, it is necessary to know the details of this proposal. Secondly, any analysis of such an initiative must be based on taking into account the security structures that already exist in Europe - NATO, the EU, the OSCE." Nevertheless, he said, “anything aimed at strengthening security should be welcomed.”