Dan Voiculescu's Conservatives have proposed to the PRM (Greater Romania Party) fusion by assimilation as possibility of collaboration. When hearing the offer expressed by Codrut Seres, a general secretary of the PC (Conservative Party), the PRM leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor got mad. Both the PC and PRM, parties belonging to their makers, are in trouble. According to the latest polls, none of them would make it to the Parliament because of scores lower than 5%. In 2000 and 2004 the Conservatives managed to get represented in the Parliament due to the Romanian Social-Democrats' support. As for the PRM, although this political group was the second political group as importance in 2000, it is now under the same threat. The two parties' leaders are controversial politicians. Dan Voiculescu was a collaborator of the political police under the Communist rule, as decided by the National Council for Research on the Communist Secret Service Archive. And Corneliu Vadim Tudor used to be the court poet praising the Ceausescu family. The PC leaders have already proceeded to pre-electoral alliance with the PSD (Social-Democrat Party), hopeful that they will get parliamentary seats one more time. Codrut Seres explained yesterday on behalf of the PC: "Our offer is clear: fusion by absorption. We are waiting for the PRM to confirm or deny the version they want." He added the talks had started upon request from the PRM representatives and were focusing on the "moderate national dimension" of possible collaboration. "There has been no talk about seats in the Parliament or other practical details concerning such collaboration", he claimed. Coddrut Seres mentioned the Gheorghe Funar was heading the PRM representatives involved in negotiations and he added that they did not decide on a deadline. But the PRM representatives announced yesterday that they would meet on September 6 and make a decision. Codrut Seres insinuated that, if the PRM denied the offer, the PC would still be willing to talk to those PRM MPs wishing to join their group. According to the PC president Daniela Popa, there are many such PRM members who have expressed their intention to join the PC: "There is a side in the PRM who would take our offer. If they don’t vote for fusion by assimilation, it doesn't mean that certain PRM MPs and certain local branches won't join us." TV-party The PRM leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor issued a press release yesterday arguing as follows: "If the PC, a TV-party, wants fusion by assimilation with someone, they can have it, with partners like the National Anti-Corruption Department or the National Council for Research on the Communist Secret Service Archive. This very ridiculous PC is pretending to be more important than it is." The PRM president has "scornfully" dismissed the Conservatives' offer, describing it as "shameless". According to the communique, Codrut Seres "deformed grossly" what he had talked to the PRM leader Gheorghe Funar about. There is mentioned that the PRM representative talked to several parties, which is seen as normal in an electoral year. The press release describes the PC as "a tiny party who has never made it to the Parliament without help and who won't make it this time either". Lucian Bolcas, another leader of the PRM, commented yesterday for Realitatea TV: "I am speaking on behalf of the PRM. Fusion is something absurd. This is out of question and neither I nor Mr. Funar have been assigned to negotiate on such a thing." He reminded that, together with Gheorghe Funar, he was in charge of talking to all the political parties, except for the Democrat Union of Magyars in Romania, on any form of collaboration, except for fusion.

Raluca PAPADOPOL, Cristian ANDREI, Anca HRIBAN