Boureanu's rise

In the front page of today's newspaper you can read surprising information in the report called "Cook for Mafia" and authored by my colleagues working for the Investigation Department. The well-known and popular politician Cristian Boureanu is at stake. He is a young, clever and educated politician who doesn't show emotion in front of TV cameras. He is spontaneous and aggressive whenever necessary. How come there is such praise of a character today's report tackles ? Is this contradiction by any chance ? Or editorial incoherence ?
By analyzing the Cristian Boureanu case we are actually proceeding to a journalistic initiative whose complexity is as profound as the idea of a reality with no angels and devils, but just with better and much worse people. As normal in the case of a politician enjoying impressing notoriety, it is true that investigative journalists are interested in reaching uneasy truths. On the other hand, the politician may enjoy the presumption of innocence until the clues or journalistic evidence are fully confirmed. Furthermore, we can even throw him a ball to catch, especially at times when the PLD (Liberal Democrat Party) is going through an extremely complex ticking race. And we wouldn't want to be suspected of standing by Stoica's games against Boureanu.
The newest Romanian party has reached a crossroads. Will the Liberals now in the PLD, together with the PD (Democrat Party), get power, in case the latter party wins elections ? Unless the PLD finds a convenient means for cohabitation with the PD, does this party stand another chance to achieve the minimum electoral score of 5% required ? No matter how strange it may seem, the answers to such questions also depend on the outcome of the domestic political confrontation Cristian Boureanu is part of. Since he is a vice president, what else can he pursue, except for leadership ?
If we simplify the scenarios on the PLD, it can be said that the party's odds for political survival and representation in Romania's future Parliament are poor or zero, unless the PLD finds a means to cling to the PD fast. If the PLD becomes the ally of the PD, Theodor Stolojan, leader of the former party, will leave, sooner or later. But he won't be sacked. He will just leave because he makes a team with Traian Basescu, one way or the other. He is hopeful that, just like the President promised, he will become a PM.
Given this, leadership over the PLD has turned into a target for dispute, as natural in politics. Given the notoriety of characters, their experience and real political force, right now there are only three applicants: Valeriu Stoica, Gheorghe Flutur and Cristian Boureanu. What chance is the last one standing ?
The leadership over the PLD depends to a great extent on the way the most important confrontation within the party, the one concerning the leadership over the Bucharest branch, is progressing. Just like in other parties, the man who heads the main branch is actually the one who rules. This is Boureanu's pursuit and therefore he wants to defeat Valeriu Stoica and have Gheorghe Flutur on his side.
In today's meeting of the PLD Executive Committee they may consider the idea of an interim president to head the Bucharest branch and appoint Boureanu, only if he is strong enough to push things to such a denouement and avoid the voting. He isn't quite ready for the voting and in such case he may get to feel the grudge of sly Valeriu Stoica.

Sorin Rosca Stanescu
Ziua Joi 16 August 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english