One Notch Higher at a Time

Adrian Nastase, PM and the Social Democrat Party (SDP) leader, took one notch further his decision to run for the Presidency. He stated when visiting Slatina city that he is 99% decided now to run.

Nastase stated at the evening show on the local television channel that he is 99% decided to run for the top office in Romania.
"I stated in New York that I was close to 95% of taking that decision, now I am saying that I am 99% close to saying yes to this proposal.," answered Nastase when asked whether he would run for President.

SDP sources say Nastase’s decision was founded on the results of a recent poll which found he would come first in a competition for the Presidency.
The poll measured Nastase’s chances against other possible candidates running for the SDP: Mircea Geoana [minister of foreign affairs], Mugur Isarescu [Governor of the Romanian Central Bank], and Ioan Mircea Pascu [minister of defense].
The SDP Congress will decide on August 29 who would be the SDP candidate for the presidential elections in November.

Two weeks ago, while visiting the United States, Nastase said that he was only 95% for the idea. "I am 95% for running, but I want to first ask my colleagues in the SDP and find out who could be the best candidate. If further analyses show I am the man, then I would run for office," stated Nastase before meeting the U.S. President George W. Bush.
While during the press-conference that followed their meeting in the Oval Office, Bush said: "I will win and the PM here said he will win too," when asked about his chances for a second mandate to the White House.

Ioan Rus, head of the SDP subsidiary in Cluj County, said he will not run in the primaries [the first ever a Romanian political party - the SDP - is organizing this month].
"I work better in executive positions, whereas a lot of my colleagues could be good senators or deputies," said Rus. He added that 60 people have already applied to run in the primaries for filling the electoral lists at the Cluj subsidiary. The dead-line for applying to a position on the list is August 18. On August 20 the candidacies will be made public and the primaries will take place on September 5.
The campaign for the primaries will be coordinated by Vasile Soporan, former Cluj county prefect, while Remus Lapusan, head of the local subsidiary of the SDP youth organization, will be the director for the primaries’ campaign.
Vasile Puscas [Romania’s negotiator with the EU] and Vasile Dancu [head of the Government Strategy Department] are deemed to have the highest chances to get the top two positions on the list of SDP candidates for the parliamentary elections in November.