Democratic Delusions: Ten Myths Accepted by the Romanian Democratic Opposition

Problems of Post-Communism

Volumn 50, Issue 6, 2003, Pages 51-60

  Stan, Lavinia ^a  

^a ST FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0345531165     PISSN: 10758216     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10758216.2003.11656063     Document Type: Review

References (13)

1. In 2000, the Social Democrats won 46.4 percent of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies, while the Democratic Union of Magyars in Romania garnered 8.6 percent. The Liberals and the Democrats each won around 9.6 percent of the vote. See www.election.ro.
2. Vladimir Tismaneanu, Fantasies of Salvation: Democracy, Nationalism, and Myth in Post-Communist Europe (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998).
3. See the cases of Victor Ciorbea and Radu Vasile, who both promptly abandoned the Christian Democrats after being fired as prime minister in 1998 and 1999, respectively. After losing the Democratic Party presidency to Traian Basescu, Petre Roman threatened to leave the party but changed his mind after extensive negotiations.
4. Since 1989 leadership positions have increased greatly, making many Romanians presidents, vice presidents, directors, or top managers of firms. The 2000 classification of professions in Romania published by the Ministry of Labor was vehemently criticized by the local press for including too many leadership positions in the state-owned enterprises, which account for half of the national GDP, See Cotidianul (December 28, 2002).
5. Efforts were made to create regular newsletters reporting on party life but funding remains insufficient. The newsletters that have been published tend to be heavily biased regarding party organization and activity, and because their circulation is limited they reach only a fraction of the party membership.
6. The conflict between Niculescu-Duvaz and the Constanta chapter was settled in favor of the former. Ironically, dissension within the Constanta chapter of the Democrat Party resurfaced in December 2002, when Niculescu-Duvaz again tried to have his name included first on electoral lists. The local leader claimed that Niculescu-Duvaz had not paid his dues for years, had not participated in local party activities, and had not promoted the interests of the county during his two terms in parliament. See Cuget Liber (December 11, 2002).
7. See reports in Adevarul (December 5, 2002), Cotidianul (December 7, 2002), and Monitorul (December 7, 2002).
8. See reports in Adevarul (December 5, 2002), Cotidianul (December 7, 2002), and Monitorul (December 7, 2002).
9. See reports in Adevarul (December 5, 2002), Cotidianul (December 7, 2002), and Monitorul (December 7, 2002).
10. Evenimentul Zilei (October 29, 2001).
11. The Democratic Party's Web site is at www.pd.ro, the Christian Democratic Party's at www.pntcd.ro, and the Liberal Party's at www.pnl.ro.
12. The National Salvation Front won 66.3 percent of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies in 1990. After the departure of its reformist wing, the newly renamed Democratic National Salvation Front secured 27.7 percent of the vote for the lower chamber in 1992. Now known as the Party of Social Democracy in Romania, it garnered around 28.7 percent of the vote in 1996 and some 46.4 percent in 2000. See the Chamber of Deputies Web site at www.cdep.ro.
13. Adevarul (January 23, 2001).