Romanian presidential 'rat race'

The race preceding the presidential runoff in Romania has been fierce and at times exceeded every limit, as democracy has been pushed into devolution, says the Moldovan political analyst Nicolae Negru. Negru described the race as being overly emotive, as if it were a dogfight, a final battle. This is even more perplexing taking in consideration that the hostilities engaged two once governing allies, the Democratic Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. In his opinion, outgoing president Traian Basescu is trying to reform Romania and its political class in a way that the President can subordinate the Legislature, which is impossible. In this case, Basescu could remain alone and obtain nothing. Moreover, this permanent strife among the institutions of the state affects Romania's reputation. “If Basescu doesn't change his tactics and goes on with his excessively bitter methods, things could turn out ugly for the Romanian society”, stated Negru. At the same time, the analyst gave Basescu a higher score in the recent televised debates where he caught his rival, Mircea Geoana, on the wrong foot and revealed Geoana's meeting with the controversial businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu. Negru is sure that, following this debate, Basescu has a psychological advantage over Mircea Geoana. This means that the score in the presidential election this Sunday will be very tight, whoever wins it. Thirteen polling places will be opened in Moldova on Sunday to receive voters with Romanian citizenship.