Romania: agreement on broad pro-European coalition
Ten days after the Romanian parliamentary elections, the Social Democrats (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the liberal Save Romania Union (USR), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and a faction consisting of 19 representatives of other ethnic minorities have agreed to form a pro-European coalition. The alliance also plans to put forward a joint candidate in the re-run of the annulled presidential election. Is this a viable strategy?
No sign of a promising candidate
Spotmedia is sceptical about the idea of a joint presidential candidate:
“Presenting a joint candidate raises a number of questions. ... First of all, the candidate would be viewed as a representative of the system in the fight against the representative of the anti-system. Before a specific name is mentioned, it should be determined whether this candidate should be a politician or a non-partisan person. ... An independent could break up the rigid structure of traditional politics, although the parties' support could also be detrimental to them. Only someone who is unusually charismatic could make up for all that. ... But for now, there is no sign of such a candidate.”
A model for all EU member states
El País welcomes the formation of a five-party coalition:
“Romania's democracy is being severely tested by the geopolitical tensions, and this is spilling over into its domestic politics and even the question of its EU membership. ... It is in the interest of all EU countries to remove any forces from their governments that defend values that run contrary to those of the EU. And Bucharest has a particularly strong interest in this because it is a key player on the continent's geopolitical chessboard and, above all, in the military confrontation between its neighbour Ukraine and Russia. ... Romania is an indispensable link in the Ukrainian wheat trade. ... The agreement among the Romanian pro-European parties is therefore to be welcomed. It sets a good example for their colleagues in the EU and the European Parliament.”
New faces needed
Adevărul is calling for public offices to be held by competent lateral entrants in future:
“Negotiations have begun, but they should be based on principles and not on who has how much political clout. The overriding principle should be that those who are put forward for public office are competent and honest. Those who have been in the front row up to now would do well to withdraw. ... New, capable people with solid careers behind them are needed. Such people are to be found in the business world, and there are also well-known Romanian experts in Romania and abroad. If Trump is bringing the top entrepreneurs into his government, why shouldn't we do the same?”