Scandal around the president

Parliament declaration asks president Traian Basescu to resign over corruption scandal involving his brother.

Florentin Căpitănescu, 26.06.2014, 12:33

During his ten years in office, Romania’s president Traian Basescu has constantly been the target of political scandals or involved in delicate situations.

However, pundits say the recent scandal involving his younger brother, Mircea Basescu, may prove the toughest challenge yet for the president. Mircea Basescu has been placed under a 30-day pre-emptive arrest as part of an investigation, in which he is accused of receiving bribes of some 250,000 euros in exchange for using his influence to obtain a milder sentence for a man known as Bercea Mondial, a well-known crime boss called Sandu Anghel by his real name. Anghel is currently serving time for attempted murder.

Although he categorically dismissed all allegations of having been involved in his brother’s interference with the justice system, president Basescu is now the target of what the media has described as “the scandal of the year”.

The left-wing ruling coalition, made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania, together with their new partner, the Dan Diaconescu Party of the People, is leading the charge against president Basescu, calling for his immediate resignation.

Parliament has already adopted a declaration, with 344 votes in favour and 17 abstentions, which although cannot legally make Basescu resign, may well be able to deal the deathblow to Basescu’s popularity. The Social-Democrat MP Gabriela Firea argues:

“Romania’s president Traian Basescu is no longer entitled to ensure the prestige, independence and legitimacy of the office he holds, which is why he should immediately tender his resignation as head of state”.

Although they have also called for Basescu’s resignation, the Liberals say the speakers of both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, namely the former Liberal member Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the Social Democrat Valeriu Zgonea respectively, have no moral grounds to call for the resignation of the president. Liberal MP Ludovic Orban:

“While you want to get rid of Traian Basescu in order to win voters, we want to get rid of Traian Basescu because we believe he is no longer in a position to fight against corruption”.

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Movement of the People Party, in opposition, did not take part in the vote, while the MPs of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania were free to vote as their conscience told them, says party leader Kelemen Hunor.