Theodor Stolojan, co-president of the PNL (National Liberal Party)-PD (Democrat Party) Alliance and the two parties' presidential candidate has left the electoral race, with Traian Basescu to be designated the Alliance's new candidate in the following days.
Basescu, president of the Democrat Party and mayor of Bucharest, yesterday volunteered to run for president if the Liberals asked him to. PNL's executive management reacted promptly and invited the Democrat leader to run for president, with the official procedures to take place in the next days. The solution has been approved by the local subsidiaries of the Liberal Party, which are already sending messages supporting Basescu's candidacy for president of Romania.
Citing health reasons, which are still fodder for speculation, Theodor Stolojan said, on Saturday night, that he was withdrawing from the political life, also renouncing the National Liberal Party's presidency. PNL vice-president Calin Popescu-Tariceanu was appointed interim leader of the Liberals. After the presidential and parliamentary elections, most likely early next year, an extraordinary PNL congress will be organised to elect the future party leader.
The reasons behind the withdrawal of Stolojan, who was also a Premier in 1991-1992, are surrounded by controversy. Whereas the former PNL leader grounded his unexpected decision on health woes, Traian Basescu offered another variant.
According to the Democrat Party leader, Stolojan is not that ill. The true problem, according to Basescu, lies in the stress induced by the "political blackmail" lately aimed against Theodor Stolojan by the "vile system" of the current power. "He would receive calls day and night. He was being blackmailed with the publication of fabrications," Traian Basescu claimed, refusing to reveal the names of the people making the respective phone calls, but alluding to the PSD (Social Democrat Party - ruling party).
PSD leader Adrian Nastase (who is also the current Premier) answered these allegations yesterday. The ruling party leader rejected the political blackmail accusations and dubbed Traian Basescu "an embarrassing character, a vulgar person unable to speak properly, who always swears and causes ruckus."
In the opinion of political analysts, the withdrawal of Theodor Stolojan from the presidential race will not modify the political strategy of the PNL-PD Alliance, as Traian Basescu had already been appointed head of the electoral campaign, which means that he was already designing the strategy. Under the consequences, Basescu will draft the strategy for his own campaign.
All the political parties reacted to Stolojan's decision, expressing regret over the PNL leader's decision to quit politics over health problems. However, Premier Adrian Nastase read into Stolojan's gesture an abdication caused by the failure to restructure the National Liberal Party.
mirela.luca@zf.ro
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