Presidency candidates count on the would-be premiers

Mugur Isarescu and Teodor Stolojan, two of the public personalities Romanians trust most, according to the polls, announced their candidacy for the position of Premier after the autumn elections, but chances that the two might accede to this position exclusively depend on electoral scores the factions that support them will register.

According to the Constitution, the elected President has the obligation to mandate a person designated by the faction holding the leading position in the wake of parliamentary elections to shape up the new government. In line with the latest IMAS poll made public at the end of last week, PDSR (Party of Social Democracy) leads by far within the top of electorate’s preferences, BEING CREDITED with 49 percent of voting intentions, while CDR (Romanian Democrat Convention), under the formula PN?CD plus PNL, is credited with 17 percent and ApR (Alliance for Romania) with 6 percent.

Proposing a certain Premier during elections might influence the results to be posted by certain parties “through a transfer of credibility” from the respective personality toward the party, as both Isarescu and Stolojan enjoy quite high confidence rates amid the electorate, sociologist Sebastian Lazaroiu explained yesterday. Yet, taking into account the fact that Romanians ascribe an exaggerated power to the president, since it has been proven that so far “they have held him responsible for all the wrongdoing in the world,” parties’ expectations are likely to be contradicted because, within all scenarios imagined so far, “technocrats” are associated with Premier roles, but not with presidency.

“People place their hopes not so much in the Premier, but in the President,” Lazaroiu says.

Emil Constantinescu on Friday night announced in a TV show that he would run for a new presidential mandate. He said that, if he won the elections again, his choice for a Prime Minister would be Mugur Isarescu. “I will keep going forward and if I am elected President I will support Mugur Isarescu for the Prime Minister position. I believe that Isarescu is the best Prime Minister Romania has had since December 1989 and I expect him to be acknowledged as the best Prime Minister our country has ever had, ” Constantinescu said.

Isarescu last week stated that he would accept a new mandate as Prime Minister but he refused to comment upon his potential participation in tandem with Emil Constantinescu as President. Isarescu added that he was unwilling to get involved in the political struggle.

Theodor Stolojan could be promoted as Prime Minister by an APR (The Alliance for Romania)-PNL (Liberal Party) alliance, which will support Teodor Melescanu for President. However, participation in autumn elections under the same alliance with APR does not appeal to all PNL leaders.

The weight of those opposing to the establishment of this alliance may increase after IMAS releases its latest poll, where Emil Constantinescu is granted 17% of potential votes, while Teodor Melescanu dropped to 10%, against 17% before the locals. PNL senator Alexandru Paleologu yesterday lashed at Liberal leadership’s intention to conclude an electoral alliance with ApR. “This would be an unqualified gesture of disloyalty, which will end into an electoral disaster,” Paleologu stated. He accused PNL leadership of negotiating for “an “absurd alliance, doomed to fail, that will dishonour the Liberals.” A decision on Liberals’ electoral strategy is to be made by PNL National Council to meet July 14-15.