Way to go, Mr. Iliescu!

All citizens of Timişoara hate communism, it"s just that it seems they haven"t yet agreed on the exact meaning of the word; yesterday, protesters were yelling in the Opera Square that members of the PSD are communists, - "Down with the Communists!"- , whereas the Mayor of Timişoara, Gheorghe Ciuhandu, was saying that, on the contrary, it was Traian Băsescu who was the communist, (meaning the Mayor"s slogan would be "Down with Băsescu!").

The idea of bringing down Traian Băsescu was the main theme of the so-called "Partnership for Timişoara", a document signed by mayor Gheorghe Ciuhandu, Social-Democrat leader Mircea Geoană, Liberal leader Crin Antonescu and Mayor of Sibiu Klaus Johannis, which also advises supporters of the National Peasant"s Party (the so-called "Radu Sârbu faction", of which Timişoara mayor Gheorghe Ciuhandu is a member) to vote for Geoană when the second round of the presidential elections comes around.

According to the document, the three guiding principles and the goals of the Partnership for Timişoara are: economic and financial decentralization; removing cronyism from public administration; supporting all major projects which are essential for the city of Timişoara.

"In order to carry out the goals of the Partnership for Timişoara its signers agree to the following: 1. Backing Mircea Geoană for the second round of the presidential elections; 2. the creation of a stable majority for supporting a government led by Klaus Johannis", the document states.

At the same time, PNŢCD leader Radu Sârbu announced that he signed a "national reconciliation agreement" with Mircea Geoană. According to the document, PNŢCD salutes Geoană"s decision to steer the doctrine of the PSD towards a Western-type social-democracy, compatible with the Christian-Democrat doctrine of the PNŢCD.

But the citizens of Timişoara who gathered in the Square of the Opera of Timişoara, were not impressed by these political dealings; most of them were actually seeing red (figuratively speaking) when looking at the red flags of the Social-Democrat Party, which led to altercations.

"My father died here in the center of the city, and now communists are back here again", a teen girl said in tears.

A man said: "It"s painful to see communists get together here, in the Opera Square, 20 years after the Revolution. If they had gone to the Central Park no one would have anything to object". Another man said: "I"m not here to support Băsescu. I"m here to protest against communism. Red (ed. note: the color of the Social-Democrats) stands for communism".

In a rather ill-advised move, Ion Iliescu came out with a statement broadcast by radio station Realitatea FM, saying that the protesters in Timişoara were "uncivilized".

If social democrats were looking to stir up a hornets" nest, then Iliescu could hardly have done a better job.

Three hundred citizens of Braşov went out on the streets, to express their solidarity with the "uncivilized" citizens of Timişoara, and a number of citizens of Bucharest rallied in the University Square to do the same.

Way to go, Mr. Iliescu!