DECISIVE CHANGE IN ROMANIA

Post-Communists may lose their power completely. The Romanian political situation has taken a spectacular turn as Traian Basescu, chairman of liberal-democratic DA union emerged as a winner of the second round of elections.

By this the national union of the governing Social Democratic Party and the Humanist Party has become ruined and the union must be in opposition for the next four years. Adrian Nastase, outgoing Prime Minister said there were two countries in Romania: the towns were growing richer while the rural areas were getting poorer, sticking to left-wing ideas. Traian Basescu in his speech stressed the need for Romania’s smooth EU accession, for making state institutions free of party politics, for the winding up of poverty and corruption, and for restoring the freedom of the press. The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) has been surprised by Basescu’s victory as they had supported Adrian Nastase and the left-wing coalition.

Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó