Crossfire in the PDL

The internal elections of the Democrat Liberal Party failed to bring peace to the party led by Emil Boc. Quite the opposite, over the course of last week the number and the intensity of blows and disagreements have increased. The disagreements are plainly visible, they became obvious when the draft of the new law concerning the layoffs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which, much to the surprise of the people in the government, was voted down by the Chamber of Deputies. Simply going over the exchange of statements made over the past few days clearly paints the picture of the of mind that exists in the PDL. Acknowledging the way things are, the PM has already announced a kind of "silenzio-stampa" to the journalists who were asking him questions about the reshuffling of the Government: "You will have to get used to this kind of PM, one that doesn"t issue statements any time, anywhere, regardless of the subject and o the manner those statements are made. So I have to ask you to understand that this part of the rigors of the position that I have".

In a statement issued last week, president Traian Băsescu said he was against holding a referendum in Bucharest, saying that the issue has been blown out of proportion and that it was up to the Parliament to decide whether the districts of Bucharest would be dissolved or not. This statement completely contradicts the entire campaign pushed by Elena Udrea, the head of PDL Bucharest, who in her public statements as well as on her blog fiercely promoted the idea of hosting a referendum tied to the Law of the Capital. "There is no need for any referendum. In this case it is up to the parliament to decide. I think we went a little bit overboard on this issue", president Traian Băsescu said. One post (of many) on the blog of Elena Udrea is enough to show that the people at the top of the current ruling party have different views on how things should be done: "When I came to lead PDL Bucharest, I said that during my term, I would make it the party"s priority to hand back the power to make decisions to the citizens of Bucharest. Furthermore, I said that no important measures would be taken without consulting the citizens (...) Even more so, given what I said, no one should expect to be able to pass a law as important as the Law of the Capital through Parliament without consulting the citizens. Ever since January, I said that no decision would be made without organizing a referendum. I reiterate this idea here: we need to ask the people of Bucharest for their opinion and no decision will be made that goes against their will. When the ballot box speaks, politicians should remain silent".

Vasile Blaga also launched a rather harsh attack against theVictoria Palace, pertaining to the Banias - Mironescu- Constanta Customs scandal, aimed at Internal Affairs Minister Traian Igaş and PM Emil Boc. Blaga says that Mironescu became secretary general in the Ministry of Internal Affairs precisely because he was a friend of Igaş: "I think that the friendship between minister Igaş and Mironescu was essential in the appointment of the latter, I doubt that his evaluation qualified him for the position. I for one wouldn"t have appointed Mr. Mironescu".

On a different note, PDL deputy Raluca Turcan brought back up the issue of replacing the PM: "Since this subject is being brought back up again, I stand by my opinion that replacing the PM could help improve things, but it is not enough. We need to evaluate the Ministers and the people in the lower tiers of the PDL, because, even if the reformation of the PDL continues, it will not be enough to help the party regain credibility. This can be done by eliminating all the weaknesses and from having credible people, who are also good at communicating". There are an increasing number of voices that speak of an imminent split of the party, on the back of a government reshuffle, with both set to take place very soon.