SINCE winning office on an anti-corruption ticket in 2004, President Traian Basescu has disappointed his fans. His public utterances are sometimes erratic or foul-mouthed. His centre-right Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) seems as mucky as any. As a privileged figure in the Communist era (he worked in Belgium), he has little claim to offer a sharp break with the past. His choice and treatment of advisers were often dire. PDL governments’ IMF-mandated austerity has struck many as harsh and clumsy. Not surprisingly, his popularity rating is a humbling 17%.
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