Many are wondering why the announcement on the fusion of the PD (Democrat Party) and the PLD (Liberal Democrat Party) was so hasty. Just a few days ago all the information from within the parties was showing no progress. The main obstacle was some PD leaders' belief that by joining Stolojan's people they would be at disadvantage. But the secret of such a surprise is rather easy to decipher. Traian Basescu suffered a humiliating defeat because of the referendum failure. Both press and civil society representatives would have continued to tackle all the sides of it. And in order to diminish his defeat, turned into an electoral bleeding, Traian Basescu needed a new target for public attention. This is a common trick in politics. When one wants talk about an issue to stop, one makes another issue. This is why the few leaders decided the two parties' fusion almost on the spot, to obey the order from the undemocratic boss. And what is next? Is the newly made group more powerful than the mathematical sum of the PD and the PLD? I am from the very beginning tempted not to ignore a common sense idea. The two parties' leaders mentioned the "Truth and Justice" Alliance insistently, claiming the fusion project had been elaborated ever since 2004 and it was to take place now. Hence two goals attained once: confiscation of the "Truth and Justice" Alliance brand, since it is unclear how important this alliance still is, and the making of a right-oriented party. It is just that the "Truth and Justice" Alliance was something totally different. Its components were the PD, a socialist party later on turning into a people's right party, and the PNL (National Liberal Party), a member of the Liberal International. What have we got today? A conservative party, member of the European people's party family, and a formerly liberal party, also joining the people's family of parties together with its MEPs. Instead of a right center alliance called the "Truth and Justice" Alliance, we have got a right alliance, who would like to bear the same name, but who gets officially registered as the PDL (Democrat Liberal Party). After all, it is half of a brand confiscation that leaves the Liberals indifferent. It is so because the PNL no longer trusts the resource of the "Truth and Justice" brand. On the other hand, few analysts have noticed that the new party has chosen a good orientation, the right. The presidential party may approach parliamentary elections claiming it will be the turn of the right to take over. The PDL will say that right centre alliances ruled Romania for four years and, if people want a change, the electorate doesn't necessarily have to vote for the left, that is for the PSD (Social-Democrat Party), the only socialist party. The electorate may very well take a look at the right, represented by a newly established conservative group able to move the mountains. This may appeal to people, if nicely wrapped. The mathematical sum of the two parties, whether artificially enlarged in the Euro-elections or not, will obviously make a smaller sum in both the local and parliamentary elections. First of all, because it always happened so. No fusion led to real advantages for both parties. In other words, in the case of the PDL, 30% added to 7% will never make 37%. Secondly, not for one second must we forget that it is a presidential party we are talking about, an artificial achievement meant to turn into an electoral vehicle for Traian Basescu's second mandate as President and, until then, to give him the chance to improve his image by becoming a player and by grabbing the government too. Which is this new group's weak point? The fact that Traian Basescu runs out of fuel too fast. In polls he is already under 50%. And in the two years left till presidential elections his decline will continue. When he stops working as an engine for this party, the effect of it will be one of the following: either the PDL dumps Traian Basescu or the latter grows fierce against this newly established party, which will be a fiasco anyway.

Sorin ROSCA STANESCU