Negotiations among parties on certain President-Premier tandems that can win the general elections have brought to the spotlight two very frequently mentioned names, Mugur Isarescu and Theodor Stolojan.
From the parties' point of view, each of the two would be an asset, in line with polls that credit both with a large confidence capital. The only problem is that using them as an outpost would reveal the weakness of political leaders in front of the electorate. For the time being, nobody seems to think of joining the two names into a single tandem. Political analysts consider that, from the point of view of the two personalities, electoral efficiency, and not political orientation will be the criterion that will guide them in joining a party or a coalition for the autumn campaign, because they are interested in winning a position in line with their renown and not in supporting a certain programme.
According to some Liberal and ApR (Alliance for Romania) sources, the most likely formula for Theodor Stolojan is an alliance between PNL (Liberal Party) and ApR, which will back him up for the position of Premier, while the candidate running for Cotroceni will be Teodor Melescanu. Stolojan, who agreed with this solution negotiated lately, will not join any party however, according to the same sources.
As a matter of fact, the former Prime Minister is backed up by an initiative group spread into several cities countrywide, which expressed its willingness to merge either with PNL or ApR. ApR deputy chairman Vladimir Pasti stated that PN?CD would be excluded from this alliance, since it "has to pay" for what has happened during the last years, being held as the "main culprit."
According to sources within PD, Stolojan's premiership would be a solution accepted by the Democrat Party, which made the Premier-President tandem trendy.
"We would be happy if he joined us, it would be the best solution for everybody," PDSR (Party of Social Democracy) vice president Adrian Nastase said. He added that Stolojan "would get the position he deserves," without naming the respective position.
On the other hand, PDSR president Ion Iliescu expressed his option for a politician to be in charge with the Executive. "The president of the winning party should become Prime Minister, possibly Adrian Nastase, but we also have prepared other 10 names to propose for the Premier position," Iliescu explained.
Isarescu as Prime Minister and Constantinescu as President, the solution PN?CD came up with, is being considered by the Liberals as well. PNL (Liberal Party) prime vice-president Valeriu Stoica yesterday told Ziarul Financiar that his party would continue discussions with APR (the Alliance for Romania) and PN?CD and would make a final decision after having evaluated the results of a poll showing the most successful formula. According to sources close to PNL, the Liberals proposed Mugur Isarescu to represent their party for presidential elections, in case they did not conclude any major political alliance. According to the same sources, Isarescu turned down the Liberals' offer.
Political analyst Cristian Parvulescu grounds the option of the two on "the personal motivation to take part in the political life, the orientation toward a liberal or social-democrat doctrine, the chances to attend governance in the autumn, as their reputation is very important and they would not jeopardise it unless they benefited from a decision-making position."
However, Barbu says, there is a difference between the two. "Isarescu is a technocrat that undertakes his condition, while Stolojan was a technocrat, but he has not held any public function for eight years, and he may be a politician," the analyst explains. In his opinion, the option for Isarescu - Prime Minister would be "a huge mistake" because the one to make it would admit thus "the handicap of lacking political leaders." Barbu states that the trust Isarescu enjoys is owed to the way he is currently fulfilling his duties. Cristian Parvulescu points out that, in case one of the two decides to run for presidency, he would be successful only with the support of a strong political party and an early announcement of his candidacy. "According to a poll conducted by the Barometer for public opinion, both Isarescu and Stolojan are granted less than 3% of the votes, although Isarescu enjoys greater trust," he states. The success posted by Basescu for Bucharest City Hall cannot be repeated with the two, as Basescu was a political leader, thus acknowledged, the analyst concludes.
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