The initiative of the coalition’s common candidate started under the sign of the failure of the experiment from the local elections. The episode of Cătălin Cîrstoiu, the last-minute designated common candidate, to save some deadlines and internal calculations from PNL and PSD, only to be left alone afterward, precisely because being everyone’s means to be, in fact, no one.
Crin Antonescu is a too experienced politician, betrayed once by PSD precisely in a presidential endeavor, within the USL, to not be aware of this and to not carefully evaluate each sign.
Some of his criticisms towards the coalition parties, formulated at the moment of suspending, not withdrawing, the candidacy, are exaggerated. For example, it’s still hard to realistically expect that, between Christmas and New Year’s, two parties, which, between cabbage rolls and meatballs, issue ordinances to keep the budget on life support and organize governments, have time to gather their structures, which are barely catching their breath after the madness of the last months, for an official validation.
Instead, it is incomprehensible that the date of the presidential elections has not been set yet. All it needed was a Government Decision. If they do not issue it by January 7, the presidential elections cannot start on March 23, and, to avoid voting with a red egg in one hand and Easter bread in the other, they should be pushed to May.
Marcel Ciolacu announces the first coalition meeting on the elections’ topic only on January 8, so he feels no rush. On January 6 and 7, vacation and probably Tik Tok movies. Really, what’s the hurry for Mr. Ciolacu? Extremists gather people on the streets, social tension is almost palpable, Romania has no budget and borrows increasingly difficult at a 9% deficit. Any problem for the prime minister who reminisces mischievous memories on Tik Tok?
The postponement will only amplify the society’s nervousness with a direct impact on the extremists’ favor.
And it’s not just about setting the date, but also about a legislative change to allow parties that will not have their own candidate and will support an independent to have representatives at the polling stations. If it is not already in progress, does the coalition really intend to have this common candidate?
These are questions that Crin Antonescu couldn’t help but ask himself. And the inept Tik Tok video in which Simonis confesses to Ciolacu the election fraud by donating votes might suggest, as already shown, that the PSD president might want another round, and the party has not given up on the idea of its own candidate.
I didn’t read in Mr. Antonescu’s statement a withdrawal of the candidacy, but a sort of ultimatum, especially towards PSD: either we all take it seriously, or we drop it, you won’t repeat the local episode with me.
It also helps the announcement of Nicușor Dan about an opinion poll that places Crin Antonescu in second place in the voting intention and which, if real, does not suggest an intention to flee from defeat, but to set some terms of the game. Again, if ND’s poll is real.
Antonescu challenged the coalition leaders, and it was extremely interesting to watch the reactions within the coalition. Kelemen Hunor and then Ilie Bolojan unequivocally sided with Crin Antonescu, especially regarding the imperative of setting the date of the presidential elections.
PSD remained silent, although the key to any government decision, Government Decision or Emergency Ordinance, is in the hands of the prime minister. The silence, except for a laconic phrase from Mr. Ciolacu, is deafening and conveys at least indecision, although PSD conditioned the coalition’s formation on the existence of a common candidate and PSD claimed the position of prime minister, so they couldn’t ask for the candidacy as well.
Equally true is that PSD has been behaving like a headless chicken for some time, unable to absorb the shock of November 24. One that no longer seems even of a categorical defeat but of an incredible stupidity. But if it wasn’t a defeat, as Simonis told us, why not try again?
For PSD, it seems difficult to accept that their hopes of regaining the presidency after 20 years would end up not having their own candidate. For some of them, the end of the USL is a traumatizing memory; they are not sure what to expect from Crin Antonescu in the presidential role, a fear that the ultimatum received on Saturday accentuates.
On the other hand, PSD does not have an alternative solution to put on the table. Marcel Ciolacu, despite all his antics on Tik Tok, is fried and insists on continuing to fry.
Another candidate from PSD hardly exists; it would imply giving up the position of prime minister, and an independent with traction and notoriety is not available because the elections are tomorrow, and there is no more time for growth. But they do not give up the idea.
Sure, there is always the possibility that PSD and PNL will have different candidates, which would be democratically correct. But we would once again enter the equation of government struggles with effects on the decisions made. The fact that the former government parties had different candidates who devoured each other was a cause of the economic situation we have reached.
And so, PSD is just dawdling, hoping to find a miraculous solution. And dawdling includes the election date, which has extremely serious social and electoral effects.