POLITICS

Bucharest has turned into a battlefield for Ion Iliescu and Traian Basescu, the two politicians behind independent Sorin Oprescu and Democrat-Liberal Vasile Blaga, who are to compete against each other in the second tour of the Bucharest general mayor election.

The old Communist called Ion Iliescu opened the battle by announcing that the PSD (Social-Democrat Party) would be supporting doctor Sorin Oprescu in the competition and by asking that all the political forces should prove solidarity in order to isolate the President of Romania Traian Basescu and his party, the PD-L (Democrat-Liberal Party).

And this challenge is as fit as a glove for Traian Basescu, who is very fond of overt conflicts. Besides, the President tried to pack the candidates the minute the campaign started, but he failed. His targets were Ion Iliescu, "the expert in coups d'etat", whom he accused of "cheat" meant to serve a diversion such as the "independent candidate Sorin Oprescu".

So the PD-L will open fire, relying on the bloody coal miners attacks coordinated by the ex Presidennt of Romania Ion Iliescu. Vasile Blaga commented yesterday: "The man who fetched the coal miners to Bucharest wants to grab Bucharest through Sorin Oprescu, who has never wanted to take distance from Ion Iliescu or the coal miners' attacks."

On the other hand, the first who hurried to support Ion Iliescu's initiative were the Liberal leaders on Calin Popescu Tariceanu's side: Crin Antonescu, Bogdan Olteanu and Dan Radu Rusanu. Yesterday they expressed the Romanian Liberals' support for candidate Sorin Oprescu. "To support Vasile Blaga would mean to help the enemy", this is how the Liberal view looks like right now. And more support is to come from Corneliu Vadim Tudor, leader of the "Greater Romania" Party, as the latter politician announced yesterday.

Still it is to be noticed that such support from the PSD and the "Greater Romania" Party will leave Ion Iliescu's ex doctor without the halo of an independent, which did have a considerable contribution to the large number of votes he was a beneficiary of last Sunday. (...) (D.P.)

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