Let's get back to early elections!

Immediately after the NATO summit in Prague and President George Bush’s visit to Romania, the early elections issue was brought up again even more passionately. PM Adrian Nastase and PSD (Social Democrat Party) are seizing every chance to provide good explanations as to why early elections should be organised next year. President Ion Iliescu, however, stays convinced early elections are not a solution. Still, the PM’s statements, over the last two days at least, show PSD wants to check its electoral support, but only if the chief of state favours the early elections idea.
One more clarification on the position of the Cotroceni Palace about the early elections issue, and perhaps the final one, could come from President Iliescu soon. He announced yesterday night he wanted to present a message before Parliament towards the end of the current parliamentary session, two years after the legislative elections.
Iliescu specified the message would convey summation opinions, as well as his point about the near future.
The Constitution says the President may address messages to the Parliamentary Chambers.
Prior to the presidential announcement, PM Adrian Nastase had said yesterday that the Government might stand before the population or Parliament to obtain a new vote of confidence, needed by the continuation of Romania’s EU integration throughout 2003-2007.
A vote of confidence from the population can only be secured by elections. Nastase explained that the ruling party would complete its short-term political strategy after the meeting of the European Council in Prague in December, so that the elections for the European Parliament scheduled for 2004 would not impact on Romania’s EU accession negotiations.
“We obviously have to focus on the EU accession. This can be done by either securing a new vote of confidence from the population or from Parliament,” Nastase said.
Early elections are a topic the Premier has also discussed in an interview run by Mediafax on Sunday, soon after the departure of President Bush. He regards early elections as a possible vector of the post-Prague strategy. One thing should be noted about this interview, though, that is Nastase pointing out that “together with President Iliescu and the other responsible political forces, we will find the best solution.”
One day later, that is yesterday, PSD general secretary Cozmin Gusa announced PSD would continue discussing with President Iliescu about the early elections, as well as about a possible Government reshuffle. Which talks, PSD sources say, could take place in January.
“This is when it will be possible for us to discuss this issue again, to assess the chances of the project we proposed,” Gusa.
The leaders of the ruling party unanimously voted for early elections two weeks ago, and approached the president with this issue the next day.
The summation of two years from elections before Parliament was not the only read-between-the-lines type message from Ion Iliescu. Yesterday, he said during the Parliament session dedicated to Romania’s invitation to join NATO, that “it will do no good to any political force to try and take electoral advantage from this collective victory,” or to make it look insignificant.