The Democrat Party Ready to Opt Out Of Government - Sources

The Democrat Party, or PD, leaders, which President Traian Basescu led too until his election in 2004, have pondered over the past weeks over the various solutions which will give them the upper hand in parliament.

The Democrat Party, or PD, leaders, which President Traian Basescu led too until his election in 2004, have pondered over the past weeks over the various solutions which will give them the upper hand in parliament.

Calling early elections looks like one option; the other one being to opt out of the four-party ruling coalition after the European Council will rule for or against Romania’s accession to the EU on January 1, 2007.

The PD was moved into gear by recent opinion polls which were not shared with the public and which allegedly showed its main partner, the National Liberal Party, or PNL, was lagging behind it.

According to these polls, PNL would barely make it into parliament in the Transylvania region; it holds only three counties in Moldova region and it is placed fourth in the Oltenia-Muntenia regions.

The PD rush to the polls in early elections thus has more grounds than the already used arguments that the ruling coalition does not have a comfortable majority in parliament, or that the chances to win the elections scheduled for 2008 are dim.

The liberals, for their part, do not trust the democrats to negotiate a new deal with them. Their mistrust allegedly went so far as to ask the PD for a written document stating that the PNL leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu will again serve as prime minister after the current mandate ends.

Basescu was to be present when the document was to be signed, the sources alleged.

The PD leaders are allegedly ready to promise Tariceanu he will keep his office, if he agrees to early elections, but only for the next two years of the current mandate.

Adriean Videanu, the Bucharest mayor, allegedly suggested at the last meeting of the PD leadership that Tariceanu should be proposed to keep the prime-ministership till 2008, for a PD prime minister to take over afterwards.

The PD also dreams to run at the polls along the PNL, but in a 3 to 1 ratio, reflective of the alleged vote intentions in the public polls.

The current ratio of the parties in the parliament is 1.3 to 1 in favor of the liberals.

If the PNL would not agree to early elections, then the PD would opt out of the ruling coalition after the December 10 European Council, and let the PNL decide: either call early elections on their own, or partner with the Social Democrat Party to rule.

This option also takes into account the hard time Basescu would give a government not supported by the PD.

Radu Berceanu, PD minister of transportation, confirmed the rumors feeding the media lately, stating in a TV show Tuesday that "Opting out of government was not an option. For now," he added.

Berceanu also said the PD counted on the support of the opposition parties for calling early elections.

The Greater Romania Party lost many parliamentarians who jumped boat after the elections, while the opinion polls show it stands at a higher position than its current one in parliament.

As for the Social Democrat Party, or PSD, "the party has its own clean up to perform, and early elections might help it achieve just that," said Berceanu.

The Conservative Party, a junior member in the four-party ruling coalition, also means to opt out of government after January 1, 2007, which would cause a further breakdown of the parliamentary majority and give one more reason for early elections, said Berceanu.

Mircea Geoana, PSD president, said his party was ready for early elections. "We should call them, rather than go through another year of constant bickering in the ruling coalition, with no actual political project being implemented," said Geoana.