Our Putin

Ex President Emil Constantinescu opines that President Basescu is guiding Romania to the Russian pattern, but behaving like "a political jester", in spite of being "a mere clown" in the hands of the secret services.
In his latest interview to Mediafax, the ex President talks about the similarities between the two heads of state: attempt to consolidate personal power in disfavor of democratic institutions, categorization of oligarchs in bad and good. Putin saw that Hodorkovski was arrested, Berezovki was exiled, and the Romanian President saw that Dinu Patriciu was investigated and arrested, in his attempt to put pressure on adversaries Adrian Nastase and Miron Mitrea.
And there are more points in common: the fight against corruption as pretext to make use of obedient prosecutors to eliminate those in competition against friends:
Deripraska, Abramovici, Medvedev for the Russian President, and the Golden Blitz group together with the Bittner, Udrea, Cocos and Casuneanu group in Basescu's case. And there are also the conflicts against the Parliament and the independent press.
Putin consolidated his power by making use of the young generation in the secret services. President Basescu too tried to consolidate the services' power by promoting a set of national security laws. Putin has decided on elections for the Russian Parliament when his party, "United Russia", enjoys 45-52% in polls. The Romanian Presidents wants early elections at times when the Democrat Party has got 40-45% in polls.
The difference between the Russian pattern and the Romanian one is that Basescu is but "a mere clown in the hands of the secret services and he was elected because he can be manipulated". The ex President argues: "There emerges the difference between authentic and caricature". (...)

D.I.
Ziua Luni 17 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english