Motto: No criminal blackmail will ever bring me to silence. If this morning Traian Basescu resists the temptation to force consulting, to wear his famous black cap and see to the much more popular snow cleaning operation, he will be like a Formula 1 Ferrari in the eyes of the high representatives of Bucharest political class. The extraordinary 90-minute race Cotroceni is hosting will be attended by the president's main allies: Emil Boc & co. from PD (the Democrat Party), Corneliu Vadim Tudor & co from PRM ("Great Romania" Party). The other parliamentary parties - UDMR (the Democrat Union of Hungarians in Romania), PNL (the National Liberal Party) and PC (the Conservative Party) - will be on the margin and PSD (the Social-Democrat Party), the largest party in Romania, will be half in the street. Basescu is playing an impossible card today. Maybe he wins and gets acknowledged as a true presidential arbitrator between parties in conflict on various issues. There are four apples of discord today and the issue is a truly national one. Will Basescu succeed? Will he win the Formula 1 race in competition against the leaders of parliamentary parties? Or will he run all by himself? My colleagues working for the Politics Department made some simple calculation, which astonished all ZIUA journalists. They divided the 90 minutes set for this fourth round of consulting to the number of topics proposed and parties attending. The outcome is amazing. If the president utters no word and wastes no time for family pictures with Vadim and Boc, then every party has got 3 minutes available for each topic and it can express view. If our maths is right, there is no time left for conclusions. But if Traian Basescu makes an unexpected, spectacular move and takes the 90 minutes for himself without talking to party leaders, then this time is enough to launch and impose solutions typical of Basescu: final solutions to all issues. Let us work on this hypothesis and see what can happen. Maybe until today president Basescu had intense contacts with those party representatives invited to Cotroceni Palace. Maybe he knows the exact opinion of every leader. Maybe his picture is complete and efficient due to the notes placed on his desk by specialists from the secret services, who master politics. If it is so, it is no wonder there are only 90 minutes available for solutions, for the time of our officials is very precious, isn't it? The president behaving like a player and the guests behaving like spectators is no wonder at all. If my optimism is right as far as national minorities' status is concerned, it is to be assumed the president got full consent from PRM to the version by UDMR, although the president was firm and Boc changed his mind. Basescu is sure to count on a tacit consent from PNL, PC and PSD, as the latter are facing the criminal scenario plotted by Romanian prosecutors. Or maybe UDMR has changed attitude. Another issue they are to take up is modification of the Constitution. With support from PD and PRM, Basescu wants one-chamber Parliament and more powers for himself. The others are against it and they want two-chamber Parliament and the "president player" to become a "props president". I believe it is real wonder if the parliamentary majority obeys. But on the other hand I imagine Basescu has got some surprise-move prepared. But in order to avoid activation of the safeguard clause and pass the laws against corruption fast, the president has to bring them in by artificial means. Otherwise, this contextual parliamentary majority will be reluctant and even hostile and, given the last months, it will think the national system to fight corruption is entirely meant for political vendettas. Or it will help the making of a large and artificial party around PD. But I hope Basescu has got the key we can't even think about now. And there are finally the 6 laws on the new Romanian security system. They have been kept secret and declassified. Civil society is enraged about the issue. If he succeeds, Basescu becomes champion of solutions of national interest, which he reaches in to time. Or the issue will simply be postponed and the old-fashioned law set in 1991 will resist. I can't believe Cotroceni has arranged such a meeting for nothing. I can't believe such ceremony with 3 minutes set for every person is after nothing. This is why all my hopes are related to what Basescu can achieve today.

Sorin Rosca Stanescu