Stolojan Will Come Back to Active Politics As Soon As He Recovers His Health

Traian Basescu [leader of the Democrat Party] says that Theodor Stolojan [leader of the National Liberal Party who recently delegated the position and opted out of the race for the Presidency] will return to active politics as soon as he recovers his health. The statement is supported by sources in the NLP who say Stolojan wants to get back to the active party ranks.

Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who was delegated to take over the NLP presidency, said Wednesday evening that Stolojan only temporarily left active politics, while Basescu stated the same evening that his partner in the Alliance of NLP & DP "has the obligation" to come back.
Basescu said: "I believe not only that Stolojan will make a come back but that he also has an obligation to do so. I am certain of this. His physical condition should be urgently treated but it is not a terminal disease. It is just an illness …" "Though Stolojan overworked himself I think he is able to fully recover his health and his stamina," added Basescu. He did not however want to speculate on the time frame in which the liberal leader will come back to politics.

Liberal sources also say that Stolojan wants to return as soon as possible to politics, but his wife is the one insisting on him resting longer. Basescu too recognized that Stolojan’s wife was the one who determined the decision the liberal leader took to step down from the presidential race.
Basescu said that Elena Stolojan "put her foot in the door on Friday evening," one day before the public announcement was made.
"She did not ask him to step down, but she asked us to responsibly think of his health," said Basescu. Stolojan is now in Germany, undergoing medical check-ups, and his health status is stable.

Basescu did not answer if Stolojan might not only come back to active politics but also get to be nominated as the person to take the PM office if the Alliance wins the elections [this fall.] "It is hard for me to know when Theodor Stolojan will be in good health," said the man who replaced Stolojan in the race for the Presidency.

Stolojan’s come back would turn the waters murky in the camp of the Alliance. Sources there say that the NLP & DP relationship is complicated enough, like in a married couple who quarrels privately but keeps the appearances when in public.
Some may read such signs in the fact that Tariceanu did not whole heartedly backed Basescu’s claim that Stolojan stepped down not so much for health reasons but because of pressures and blackmail from the ruling Social Democrat Party.
He also warned the liberal county organizations that Basescu would turn the NLP in "a mop."
Some liberals already opt for running on separate lists, an idea which is also liked by some in the DP camp. The main supporter of the idea is deemed to be Adriean Videanu, deputy chair of the DP, whose name was also circulated at some point as future PM.
Another idea surfacing these days would be for the NLP and DP to merge, which is also supported by the results of a recent CURS opinion poll.