The surprise of Bucharest elections, Traian Basescu, might fire up a few surprises within his own party, taking into account his high popularity, which, in the elections on Sunday, has benefited the PD as well.
According to the latest results, Basescu obtained 17.21 percent of the Bucharest citizens' votes, while PD candidates for councillor positions obtained 11.1 percent. Even at a national level, results scored by the Democratic Party for advisory positions were lower than the Transport minister's record. For local councillors, PD obtained 10.79 percent of the votes, while for county advisors it only scored 10.02 percent.
Sociologist Sebastian Lazaroiu explains Basescu's success by the fact that he is a strong personality, "the best representative for the Democratic Party" since the polls place PD leader Petre Roman "at the level of the party if not even below it." While Roman abandoned the businesses of the party after taking over the Foreign Affairs Ministry, thus harming his image, Basescu appears to Romanians as a "determined person. Although a political figure, he is considered a technocrat who clearly sets his purposes, having the means to attain them," Lazaroiu points out.
Political analyst Dan Pavel in his turn says that "Basescu is one of the most popular politicians," being perceived as a "man of action who keeps his word when pledging to do something." According to Pavel, Basescu's score is also due to his electoral campaign, which was designed in a concise and aggressive style, and one of the targets was the Democratic Convention candidate, Calin Catalin Chirita.
"The campaign showed a strong man, able to put things in order and organise them," he pointed out, adding that Basescu also attracted some of the traditional Democratic Convention electorate, and helped the Democratic Party recoup votes.
However, the two specialists have different opinions regarding the consequences Basescu's popularity might have on the Democratic Party.
Sebastian Lazaroiu says that he would not be surprised if "we shall see some upward reactions within the party by fall," because local representatives realise the Transports minister is much more popular than Roman. According to Lazaroiu, it is possible for the party to appoint another candidate for the presidential elections, as "Basescu can 'tow' the party." The sociologist says that Bucharest elections support this hypothesis, since PD gathered 11 percent as compared to the 5 - 6 percent it was credited with in the last polls.
On the other hand, Dan Pavel maintains that Basescu's promotion as head of the party or in the race for Cotroceni will only be possible with Roman's agreement. Should territorial branches speak up for Basescu, "the party would be broken," Pavel considers. "Roman has pride and personality limits: his position as head of the party and candidate for presidency," and those who contested these qualities have left PD, the analyst said. In his opinion, the reversal might be successful provided that Roman is the initiator. Pavel recalls the "loyalty bondage" between Basescu and Roman, as well as the fact that he was the main supporter for the minister's running for City Hall.
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