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Romania through international eyes

Election 2004
Looking back on election 2004
Romania's Orange Revolution

by Paul Wood
February 2005

The Orange Revolution swept to power in Romania before the Ukraine. To the surprise of most, Traian Basescu, the so-called centre-right candidate for the Romanian presidency (in fact the Democratic Party he led is a former communist party of the centre-left) not only won more votes than his former PSD rival, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, but was proclaimed the winner after a reasonably transparent count...more

Looking forward from election 2004
Action on corruption: the imperative for the new government's political survival

by Mark Percival
February 2005

Two thousand and four was a turbulent year for Romania, in which the future of democracy itself was called into question, and the country came perilously close to a return to authoritarian rule. The media came under extreme pressure, while complaints of political control and corruption in the judicial system continued. Although the European Commission country report awarded Romania the much coveted status of a functioning market economy in the autumn, in practice the decision was more political than economic. Many inequities continued, in particular political favouritism in the collection of taxes, giving a competitive advantage to those with the right connections...more

OPINION
Brussels has the fate of reform in its hands

by Tom Gallagher
February 2005

The honeymoon enjoyed by President Basescu and the PNL-PD Alian_a will soon be over. Not only the media but large numbers of voters will start to look for tangible improvements resulting from the arrival of these parties in office. But it will not be easy to meet such expectations...more