From riches to RAGS: The Romanian Christian democrat peasant party

East European Quarterly

Volumn 39, Issue 2, 2005, Pages 179-227

  Stan, Lavinia ^a  

^a ST FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 33646680974     PISSN: 00128449     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (74)

1. The "historical" Social Democrats were incorporated into the ruling Social Democrat Party, the former Party of Social Democracy in Romania, which many regard as the heir of the defunct Communist Party.
2. Daniel Barbu, Sapte terne de politico romaneasca (Bucharest: Antet, 1998),
3. and Ghita Ionescu, "Reading Notes, Winter 1996: Good News, Bad News - Pax Americana, Corneliu Coposu," Government and Opposition 31, no. 1 (Winter 1996), pp. 108-109.
4. J. F. Brown, Hopes and Shadows: Eastern Europe after Communism (Durham: Duke University Press, 1994), p. 102.
5. Ion Ratiu, Din zilele unei democratii originale. Note zilnice ianuarie - decembrie 1991 (Bucharest: Trustul de Presa Regent House, 2000).
6. Sinteza. Program politic al NCDPP, pp 1-2.
7. Quoted in Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu, "Romanian Orthodox Church and Democratization," Europe-Asia Studies 52, no. 8 (December 2000), p. 1480.
8. The party did set up weak women's and youth organizations that never emancipated from the rule of the Bureau. The Christian Democrat youth was divided into student and non-student organizations that served as career advancement vehicles for sons of prominent party leaders, and never managed to come to term with each other.
9. Gabriela Tarla, Personalitati publice, politice (Bucuresti: Editura Holding Reporter, 1994), p. 163.
10. Interview with local Christian Democrat leader, 24 February 1999.
11. Interview with local Christian Democrat leaders, 3 and 5 March 1999.
12. Lavinia Stan, "Comparing Post-Communist Governance: A Case Study," Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics 18, no. 3 (September 2002), pp. 77-109.
13. Following the Law on local public administration, a person cannot simultaneously hold the positions of mayor and prime minister. In 1997, the Governmental Ordinance no. 82 allowed Ciorbea to reclaim the mayoral mandate if he lost the premiership, provided that that happened before the mayoral mandate was expiring. The ordinance was turned down by the Constitutional Court as unconstitutional.
14. A view recently confirmed by Liberal leader and former Ciorbea cabinet member Valeriu Stoica in Provocari liberale. Valeriu Stoica in dialog cu Dragos Paul Aligica (Bucharest: Humanitas, 2003).
15. Constanta Christian Democrat leader Nicolae Jianu, quoted in Dimineata (Bucharest), 14 November 1996.
16. Interview with local Christian Democrat leader, 20 April 1999.
17. Interview with local Christian Democrat leader, 24 February 1999.
18. Jurnalul national (Bucharest), 22 March 2002.
19. Cotidianul(9 September 1998).
20. Nicolae Balota, the Alliance president, Romania libera (Bucharest), 3 August 1999, p. 1,
21. and loan Boila, "Speech at the Alliance's Formation," available on www.ancd.ro.
22. For his motivations, see Radu Vasile, Cursa pe contrasens. Amintirile unui prim ministru (Bucharest: Humanitas, 2002).
23. Sorina Soare, "Analyse du systeme des partis en Roumanie apres 1989," Transitions, vol. XL, nos. 1-2 (1999), pp. 149-150.
24. Interview with local Christian Democrat leader, 24 February 1999.
25. Evenimentul Zilei (15 September 2000).
26. See Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, "The Return of Populism: The 2000 Romanian Elections," Government and Opposition vol. 36, no. 2 (Spring 2001), pp. 230-252.
27. Adevarul (Bucharest), 23 January 2001.
28. Adevarul (16 January 2001).
29. Romania libera (6 January 2001).
30. Ziua (24 January 2001).
31. Octavian Paler, Romania libera (16 January 2001).
32. Ziua (10 January 2001).
33. Adevarul (5 January 2001).
34. Cronica romana (Bucharest), 22 January 2001.
35. Curentul (Bucharest), 1 February 2001.
36. Cotidianul (26 March 2001).
37. Ziua (17 November 2001)
38. and Jurnalul National (19 November 2001).
39. Jurnalul national (24 May 2001).
40. Nicolae Balota, Romania libera (3 August 1999). The merger was harder to implement at the local level, with local Alliance and Party leaders trying to control local organizations, and leaving the party when unsuccessful. In Arges the Alliance tried to marginalize the NCDPP local leaders. In a radical step, the entire Tunis county Alliance organization joined the Democratic Party, some Arad organizations joined the National Christian Democrat Party, while most Bucharest Alliance members joined the Union of Rightist Forces. For reports,
41. see Cotidianul (7 May 2001).
42. Cotidianul (4 June 2001).
43. His resignation came the day after the police summoned Sarbu to detail his involvement in the RomTelecom affair. As former Fund president, the press contended, Sarbu offered a US$9 million-worth fee to a consulting firm for mediating the transfer of the Romanian telecommunications monopoly RomTelecom to a Greek investor. The prosecution alleged that the fee was higher than the percentage stipulated in the contract and that in any case it should have been paid by RomTelecom itself, not by the Fund. Found guilty, Sarbu was ordered to pay damages. Jurnalul National (21 November 2001)
44. and Ziua (22 November 2001).
45. Author's interview with Christian Democrat leader, 7 July 2002, Bucharest.
46. Cotidianul (16 July 2001).
47. Cotidianul (7 March 2001).
48. Interview with Christian Democrat leaders, July 2002, Bucharest.
49. Romania has 41 counties. Bucharest, the capital, is divided into six districts, each one with its own local party organization. That brings the total number of local organizations to 47.
50. Cotidianul (14 July 2001)
51. and Evenimentul Zilei (16 July 2001).
52. Evenimentul Zilei (30 August 2001).
53. Adevarul (11 July 2001)
54. and Romania libera (12 July 2001).
55. Romania libera (10 July 2001).
56. Cotidianul (24 and 30 August 2001).
57. Evenimentul Zilei (6 September 2001). Nastase's letters are posted on www.guv.ro.
58. Cotidianul (18 September 2001).
59. Curentul (15 August 2001).
60. The press announced that in January 1999 Sarbu received a state-owned apartment in a desirable Bucharest residential area. Later he bought the property at a ridiculously low price allegedly with the approval of the NCDPP Bucharest mayor Viorel Lis. Sarbu's worries did not stop there, as shortly afterwards the police questioned him regarding the Bucharest Hotel privatization. The winning Noni Travel company was supposed to cover the transaction cost within two months, but it failed to do so. The Fund, which mediated the privatization deal under Sarbu's leadership, neglected to ask for the sale price to be updated according to the inflation rate. According to the local press, as a result of the delay in payment the Fund incurred an estimated six million dollar loss. To recover part of the loss, the police took possession of Sarbu's apartment only to find out that it had been emptied of all of its contents. Evenimentul Zilei (7 September 2001)
61. and Cotidianul (22 November 2001).
62. Adevarul (6 October 2001)
63. and Romania Libera (19 November 2001).
64. Apparently for some time Ionescu's interests "coincided" with those of interloper figure Mihai Bucurenciu, who ordered the kidnapping and torture of Valentin Raducanu for stealing half a million dollars from his car. When Raducanu reported the kidnapping, the police asked Bucurenciu to clarify the source of the stolen money. Bucurenciu used his political contacts to obtain an audience with Minister Ionescu and later bragged that Bucharest police chief, Mircea Bot, lost his position as a result of the meeting. Ionescu dismissed the charges, but refused to provide details on the infamous audience. Adevarul (6 October 2001)
65. and Ziua (8 and 13 November 2001).
66. Cuget liber, 16 February 2002,
67. and Adevarul, 16 February 2002. Former head of Bucharest police General Mircea Bot alleged that Ionescu removed him from office when he was about to solve a case involving leaders of the interlope world.
68. Jurnalul national (13 August 2001).
69. Ziua (22 November 2001).
70. Adevarul (7 May 2002). In August 2002 the total NCDPP membership was 190,000 people, of which around 70,000 had been paying dues. The strongest local organizations were Bucharest (with 5,667 members), Bistrita Nasaud (3,550), Tumis (3,537) and Constanta (2,612). The number of active members is much lower. Party leader Teodor Morariu also announced that of the 150 Christian Democrat mayors elected in year 2000, 108 remained loyal to the pro-Ciorbea wing, which also could count on 117 of the 156 county councilors, and 2,363 of the 2,754 local councilors elected at the same time on NCDPP lists.
71. See Curierul National (27 August 2002).
72. Romania libera (20 May 2002).
73. Mirel Tariuc, "PNTCD - Ultimul Inceput" (Bucharest: Institutul de Studii Crestin Democrate, 2002). I thank the author for a copy of the manuscript.
74. Telegraful de Constanta (28 March 2003).