MIRCEA MARIAN: "Basescu or Iliescu: this is the option that PNL must choose in the next days".
PNL's management is already divided in two sides. Some enjoy their secret love story with PSd and are afraid by Traian Basescu. Among them, Crin Antonescu, Bogdan Olteanu şi Dinu Patriciu. Others believe that a scheme with Iliescu would destroy the party's ideological identity and are hoping in a new DA Alliance. Oddly, the man who is representing this side is Ludovic Orban, who until yesterday was one of president Basescu's loudest critic.
I don't think that the PNL leaders will find a third way for exiting the game. The stake is too high and they couldn't let the liberal electorate to choose by itself, in the election's second round, whether to vote with PSD or PDL. Naturally, formally they will make such a statement, but it will accompanied by the immortal "but..". Bogdan Olteanu, in his speeches made after the elections, hadn't said nothing bad about Oprescu, but he roughly criticized Blaga.
In fact, what is played now by the liberals is not the future of the Capital or of other major cities where Basescu and Iliescu's men are competing. They are preparing now their participation at the future government, because it is clear that the next parliament will be shared between PDL, PNL and UDMR. Some liberal sympathizers think that four years of opposition wouldn't be so bad for their favorite party. My opinion is that the leaders of this party are feeling very well at the helm, they don't want to leave the Victoria Palace and they are currently negotiating a surviving method. This will mean for the team that will get the power to keep many of the liberals from the decentralized structures, to appoint in the government a large number of PNL ministers and, very important, not to investigate the management of Tariceanu's cabinet. Ideological affinities? Their importance will be equal to zero.
What would be then, the ideal scheme for the liberals? How could they choose between the devil and his father? I think that, now, Basescu could represent for PNL the lesser evil. The man sincerely wants to change. He wants his picture to end up in the school books and he is aware that his failure depends only by scandals. In the last few weeks he hasn't said a bad word about Tariceanu. A peace between PNL and PDL is possible, even if both sides will keep their hands on the gun.
As for a PNL-PSD scheme, it would be good for the liberals to look behind, not further than 1992 or 2001. Twice in the period after '89 they have flirted with Iliescu's men. Every time they were about to become history, along with PNTCD and outside the parliament.
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