Except for the EU accession and a real economy growth, an extraordinary large number of unachieved political projects is a feature under the present mandate. For one reason or another, such projects turned to ashes. It is a feature of Presidency first of all, but it also goes for the officials in power and the political opposition. The mere listing of these resounding failures is eloquent. As for the reasons, they are to be blamed on the protagonists, but also on circumstances. Because of the trust that they won the 2004 elections, late that year the PSD (Social-Democrat Party) was getting ready to establish a government. The party had reached agreement with the UDMR (Democrat Union of Magyars in Romania) and the PC (Conservative Party). But Basescu ruined the game for good by excessive interpretation of the Constitution, which he admits true today, by proposing different political calculations. Considered separate from the number of Conservative MPs, the PSD seemed to be the loser. The party had one mandate less than the D.A. ("Truth and Justice") Alliance. This is how the first project failed. As he was aware that the new Coalition in power was lacking a reliable majority of deputies or senators, in January 2005 Basescu produced another project that failed: early elections. In the summer of the same year it had become obvious that any postponement would only lead to the same division of the electorate, despite Basescu's insistence. The PNL (National Liberal Party) would no longer trust the idea to cause political crisis so that there would follow early elections. Another presidential failure occurred when Traian Basescu wanted to push things and turn the two-Chamber Parliament into a one-Chamber one. It failed simply because he didn't get the support needed, not even from the PD (Democrat Party). The idea of making a large people's party by unifying the PNL to the PD is another piece in the set of the great political projects unachieved. The Liberals thought such a political hybrid couldn't last long in a reasonable system and they dismissed the fusion. And this way it was only the PD that overnight turned from a small Socialist party into a small people's party, out of pragmatism close to political profiting. The next failed project was elaborated in Cotroceni Palace too: the PNL was confiscated because the leaders were replaced and Presidency adviser Theodor Stolojan was the tool used for it. And there followed another failure: to split the PNL in two and establish a powerful Liberal party to leave Tariceanu's supporters sapless. But the trick didn't work. The PLD (Liberal Democrat Party) is just an annex of the PD (Democrat Party) that can anytime turn into a pain in the neck. The same Basescu tried to make Tariceanu resign by using the entire propaganda mechanism he had available, together with that part of Justice obeying and getting directions straight from Monica Macovei. But the PNL leader managed and he even grew consolidated. The next move may be fatal. Because of his rage at such chain failure, Basescu is trying to humiliate and put the blame on the whole Parliament. But the first power in state has responded, threatening to suspend and dismiss him. This is how the Cotroceni political lab is producing one more trick out of despair: a referendum on the uninominal vote. It is an attempt to prevent another referendum on the very suspension of the President. It is easy to foresee that the uninominal vote referendum will fail. This is because it is diversion and therefore people won't go voting. But what about the dismissal of the President? It will fail too, because the Constitutional Court opposed the new bill on referendum. We will see if the mission to suspend the President is accomplished.

Sorin ROSCA STANESCU