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| Birth Name(s) : Traian Basescu |
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Full Traian Basescu Biography
Traian Băsescu (born November 4, 1951) is a Romanian politician and former Merchant Navy officer. He is the current President of Romania, inaugurated on December 20, 2004. He won the office in the 2004 presidential election. Prior to becoming President, he was the Mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004.
In December 1997, he gave an interview to Claudiu Săftoiu (who was later to be appointed director of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service by Băsescu) of the newspaper Evenimentul Zilei, in which he accused Victor Ciorbea (prime minister at that time) of not implementing enough reforms, although Ciorbea was accused by the opposition of being excessively reformist. It would be the first episode in an open dispute within the ruling coalition, a dispute that eventually led to Democratic Party ministers, including Băsescu, resigning from the cabinet, which, in turn, led to Ciorbea's resignation. Subsequently (1998), Băsescu resumed his previous ministerial position in the new cabinet headed by Radu Vasile.Romania
Băsescu also presented as successful the improvements to the water and lighting systems, which prior to that were in a very bad state; as well as the modernisation of public transportation in the city. His tenure was however marked by constant conflicts with the governing PSD-controlled institutions. Citing the need for decentralisation, the central government led by Adrian Năstase passed several ordinances transferring powers from the city Mayor to city sectors and to the city council. Băsescu accused council members of corruption and obstruction; he also successfully challenged several council resolutions in Administrative Courts. As a consequence, on 10 January 2002, the central government decided to dissolve the council, yet it annulled that decision later on. These conflicts led to the blocking or delay of several infrastructure loans, financed by BEI, for municipal heating and road networks, and generally for blocking city's ability to borrow and finance reconstruction.
Băsescu has remained very popular, due to his open style and hands-on approach. In his electoral campaign, Băsescu promised to be a "player-president" (in Romanian, preşedinte jucător), in contrast to a more withdrawn president who would be just a mediator among political forces. After he became president, as legally required, he resigned from the Democratic Party. However, he remained very involved in day-to-day politics, often being accused by other political leaders of overstepping constitutional boundaries on the role of the President. During the course of his presidency, his relations with Popescu-Tăriceanu gradually soured, particularly following the Prime Minister's reversal of course in July 2005 after announcing he would resign and prompt early parliamentary elections, which due to its increased popularity rate could have allowed the Justice and Truth Alliance to govern alone. The ensuing poor relations between the President and the Prime Minister have become one of the primary themes of Băsescu's presidency and of Romanian post-2004 politics, with many unrelated disputes converging to this dichotomy, somewhat similar to the Iraq War debate in USA. Under the Romanian Constitution, the president appoints the prime minister, but does not have the authority to dismiss him.
In domestic politics, Băsescu has concentrated on the fight against high-level corruption. In spring 2005, Romania successfully resolved a hostage crisis in Iraq involving three Romanian journalists and their guide. In 2005, he also focused on pressing the government to provide relief to thousands of Romanians left homeless by widespread flooding throughout the spring and summer.Main article: Official condemnation of Romanian communism regime
In the meantime, Macovei and several other reformist ministers were dismissed by Prime Minister Popescu-Tăriceanu, while the European election has been postponed until at least the fall of 2007. Some in the media have characterized the anti-Băsescu coalition as the "black alliance".
His former counsellor Renate Weber said that according to her information, if President Băsescu hadn’t said that, it would have been another candidacy, if not another President.
During the presidential campaign, before a TV interview with PSD candidate Adrian Năstase, he gave him a paper and told him: “Put it in your pocket and read it alone!”
On the day of the suspension referendum (May 19, 2007), Traian Băsescu forcibly took the mobile phone used by Antena 1 journalist Andreea Pană to film him while he was shopping in a mall. Forgetting to turn it off, he was recorded while calling the journalist stinking gypsy (ţigancă împuţită) in a private discussion with his wife while in his car. The discussion was made public by the media institution the journalist was working for, after the phone was returned to the journalist the next day. After public outcry, Băsescu's spokesman expressed regret over the fact that an inappropriate expression in a private discussion became public. Băsescu also received a warning for his comments from the National Council for Combating Discrimination, Romania's equality watchdog. |
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