The winter vacation was but a short break in the constant bickering between the two major partners in the ruling coalition: the democrats and the liberals.
Now, with renewed zest, they launched new statements heating up the fight once more.
This sounded like a renewed declaration of war in the ears of the National Liberal Party members, who saw the democrats for the past two years attempt prompting early elections in order to get rid of the PNL leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu from his prime-ministership.
However, a few hours later from his first statement, Videanu issued a press release in which watered down his initial remarks, saying he meant "PLD should support a parliament majority, and not take governmental office proper." For their part, the liberals said "no way," stating that PLD could take up government office only if becoming PNL members, according to the PNL deputy president Puiu Hasotti.
The democrats even rejoice in the anticipation of Tariceanu calling off the alliance and presenting the parliament a reshuffled government of PNL members only, and with parliamentary support from the Conservative Party, the Social Democrat Party and the Greater Romania Party. This move will keep Tariceanu in power till 2008 but, the democrats hope, will give time the PLD to split up the liberal voting base and thus give PD more chances to win the 2008 parliamentary elections.
Translated by ANCA PADURARU