The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Romania Votes in Bid to End Instability
Bucharest | 04 December 2009 |
Opinion polls show challenger Mircea Geoana leading over incumbent Traian Basescu in the presidential run-off. According to a poll by INSOMAR, contracted by Realitatea TV, which was conducted between 28 and 29 November 2009, 54 per cent of respondents said they will vote for Geoana, with 46 per cent favouring Basescu.
Geoana's chances of success rose substantially when Crin Antonescu, who finished in third place in the first round of election two weeks ago, threw his support behind the Social Democratic Party leader. Since then other smaller opposition parties have also said they will support the former foreign minister.
Geoana is now widely seen as the candidate who is best able to unify the fractious splits which precipitated the collapse of former Prime Minister Emil Boc’s cabinet last month and has since prevented the formation of a new government.
“Basescu has been fighting for five years with pretty much every single party in Parliament,” Alinda Mungiu-Pippidi, a political analyst at the Romanian Academic Society, told Bloomberg News. ‘Geoana looks more likely to gather support of others at the moment and that is working in his favor.”
Basescu’s subsequent nominations to the post of prime minister have failed to form a government due to lack of support by the opposition.
A new government is key to the continuation of the 20 billion euro IMF-led rescue package the country needs to restore economic stability. Several weeks ago the IMF said it will postpone the disbursement of the second and third tranche worth 13 billion euro pending the formation of a new government.
The IMF is demanding that the 2010 budget, which a new government has yet to draft, reduces the deficit to below six per cent of GDP. The fund is also asking for as the passage of a fiscal responsibility law by the end of year.
