by ENZA ROBERTA PETRILLO
Since July 6th Romania has been experiencing the most serious institutional crisis ever seen in the twenty-three post-Ceau?escu transition years. Seen now, 2007, the triumphant year in which the country joined the club of euro-democracies, seems very far away. After months of tempestuous co-existence between the centre-left government and the conservative presidency of the republic, the cards have been reshuffled, terrifying Brussels, with the impeachment and removal of the President of the Republic Traian B?sescu for abuse of power and violation of the constitution. The impeachment was voted on in a plenary joint parliamentary assembly of the majority led by Victor Ponta, leader of the Social-liberal Union, the spurious governing alliance formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Conservative Party and the National Liberal Party, created last May to address an umpteenth government crisis. On July 29th this controversial impeachment will be confirmed, or not, with a referendum, which, whatever the result may be, casts shadows over the state of Romanian politics.
The interim president is Crin Antonescu, leader of the National Liberal Party appointed Speaker of the Senate just a few days before the B?sescu affair started, replacing Vasile Blaga, a conservative and coincidentally not one very loyal to the unseated president of the republic. If the July 29th referendum should confirm the impeachment, Antonescu will become the new president of the Romanian republic until the presidential elections planned for 2014 are held.
Whether or not this is a coup organised by Ponta to put an end to interferences by the president of the republic, the B?sescu affair – whatever the opinions of the theoreticians of painless democratic transitions may be – is yet another confirmation of the fragility of the institutional stability of Romanian democracy. Is B?sescu a sacrificial victim? Not exactly. The deposed president, not unlike the government leaders who wish to see him removed from the political stage, is certainly no saint. Corruption, abuse of power, conflict of interest and pressure applied to the press has marked the political careers of almost all post-Communist Romanian political leaders. This dark scenario is perfectly portrayed by one of the slogans most used this winter in street protests, “Please forgive us, we are unable to produce more than you manage to steal!”
Reset Doc for more