Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)

Democratic Liberal Party Partidul Democrat-Liberal
President	Emil Boc
Senate leader	Traian Igaş
Chamber leader	Ioan Oltean
EP leader	Theodor Stolojan
Founded	31 March 1993 (as PD) 15 December 2007 (as PD-L)
Headquarters	Aleea Modrogan, 1 Bucharest
Ideology	Liberal conservatism,[1] Christian democracy,[2] Pro-Europeanism
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
European affiliation	European People's Party
European Parliament Group	European People's Party
Official colours	Orange and Blue
Seats in the Senate	51 / 137
Seats in the Chamber	115 / 334
Seats in the European Parliament	11 / 33
Website
http://www.pdl.org.ro/
Politics of Romania Political parties Elections

The Democratic Liberal Party (Romanian: Partidul Democrat-Liberal, PD-L or PDL) is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party (Romanian: Partidul Democrat, PD) merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance. Although he had to formally suspend his leadership of the party when elected president in 2004, the PLD is largely associated with Romanian president Traian Băsescu, who was previously leader of the Democratic Party as well as being a founding member. The PLD executive leadership has already stated publicly that it would support Băsescu's candidacy for Romania's next presidential elections. The party has also worked to ensure that its positions in the parliament reflect Băsescu's priorities.

In 2008, the Democratic Liberal Party won the most seats in the latest legislative election in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and formed a new government coalition with the Social Democratic Party.^{[citation needed]}

History

PD traces its roots in the National Salvation Front (FSN), the body which, under the leadership of Ion Iliescu, seized power during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which ended the Communist regime. The organization, originally announced that it is not a party and it would not nominate candidates in the elections it organized. However, in February 1990, it registered as a party and won the elections, with the help of the state-owned media under its control.^[3]

Conflicts broke out between FSN leaders Ion Iliescu and Petre Roman in early 1992, and this led to the separation of the Iliescu wing under the name of Democratic National Salvation Front (FDSN), which later became the Social Democratic Party (PSD).^[4]

FSN was defeated by the FDSN in the 1992 legislative election and spent the next four years in opposition. In 1993 the FSN changed its name to the Democratic Party (PSD). In the 1996 legislative election, PD ran jointly with the now-defunct Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), under the name Uniunea Social-Democrată (USD). After having ranked third, they joined a governing coalition with the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR) and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR.^[5] From 2000 to 2004 PD has been again in opposition.

In advance of the 2004 elections the party joined forces with the National Liberal Party (PNL) to create the Justice and Truth Alliance, whose main purpose was to fight the all-dominating Social Democratic Party.

The Truth and Justice Alliance managed to win around 32% of the votes in both Chambers, not enough for a majority and about 6% less than PSD. Together with its Liberal allies, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania and the Conservative Party, the Democratic Party was part of the governing coalition until April 2007.

During the Congress of 2005, the Democratic Party members voted in favor of joining the European People's Party, abandoning the party's previous membership of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International. In 2005, Petre Roman left the party and together with his followers formed the Democratic Force.

From mid-2005, the PD's relations with the PNL also became strained due to an ongoing open conflict between Băsescu and Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, who is also chairman of the PNL. After his presidential victory in 2004, Băsescu appointed Tăriceanu as prime minister. Although he wanted to, he could not constitutionally dismiss him; at least, it took him a while.

On 1 April 2007, Tăriceanu dismissed the ministers of Democratic Party and formed a minority government.^[6]

On 15 December 2007 the organisation changed its name to the Democratic Liberal Party and merged with the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD). The PLD approved the merger in a party congress with 933 in favour, six abstentions and one against.^[7]

Policy

Map of the Romanian counties based on the party of the president of the County Council

  Social Democratic Party

  National Liberal Party

  Democratic Party

  Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania

  Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania

The political doctrine of the Democratic Party has shifted from social democracy to centrism and greater conservatism since 2004, combined with economic liberalism and reformism. The party supports a consolidation of the free market and is supportive of Romania's flat tax rate of 16%. The party also supports reforming the Romanian Constitution in order to bring about a decentralization in administration and give greater power to the eight development regions.

Democratic Liberal Party - Chamber of Deputies group (2008)

The Democratic Liberal Party was formed when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. The Liberal Democratic Party was a breakaway fraction of the National Liberal Party so their deputies were elected on the National Liberal Party list.

Currently, the PDL Chamber of Deputies group has 69 members, of which

• 38 were elected on Democratic Party (PD) list: (Cristian Rǎdulescu, Daniel Buda, Valentin Adrian Iliescu, Costică Canacheu, Gheorghe Albu, Gheorghe Barbu, Cornel Ştefan Bardan, Iulian-Gabriel Bîrsan, Anca-Daniela Boagiu, Ionela Bruchental-Pop, Diana Maria Buşoi, Anca Constantinescu, Radu-Cătălin Drăguş, Stelian Duţu, Elena Ehling, Stelian Fuia, Traian Constantin Igaş, Cristian Ilie, Radu Lambrino, Laurenţiu Mironescu, Liviu Alexandru Miroşeanu, Alexandru Mocanu, Petru Movilă, Ioan Oltean, Constantin Petrea, Marcel Adrian Piteiu, Corneliu Popescu, Cezar Florin Preda, Ioan Dumitru Puchianu, Marius Rogin, Marcel Laurenţiu Romanescu, Valentin Rusu, Petre Străchinaru, Valeriu Tabără, Eugen Constantin Uricec, Mihaela Adriana Vasil, Horia Văsioiu, Iulian Vladu)
• 14 were elected on National Liberal Party (PNL) list: (Marian Sorin Paveliu, Romică Andreica, Cristian Alexandru Boureanu, Dumitru Gheorghe Mircea Coşea, Marian Hoinaru, Mircea Teodor Iustian, Corneliu Momanu, Viorel Oancea, Dumitru Pardău, Gabriel Sandu, Cornel Ştirbeţ, Raluca Turcan, Petre Ungureanu, Claudius Mihail Zaharia)
• 10 were elected on Greater Romania Party (PRM) list:(Liviu Almăşan, William Gabriel Brînză, Bogdan Cantaragiu, Petru Călian, Alexandru Ciocâlteu, Liviu Codîrlă, Daniel Ionescu, Dănuţ Liga, Dumitru Puzdrea, Ion Stoica)
• 6 were elected on Social Democratic Party (PSD) list: (Constantin Amarie, Obuf Cătălin Ovidiu Buhăianu, Viorel Constantinescu, Petru Lificiu, Gheorghe Sârb, Constantin Tudor)
• 1 was elected on Conservative Party (PC) list:(Graţiela Denisa Iordache)^[8]

Notable current and former members

• Petre Roman - left and founded the Forţa Democrată (Democratic Force) party;
• Traian Băsescu - elected President of Romania, membership suspended during the mandate.
• Emil Boc - Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, since December 2004, the leader of PD-L. From 22 December 2008 he is the new Prime Minister of Romania.
• Adriean Videanu - former Mayor of Bucharest, actual Minister of Economy
• Radu Berceanu (Arad Bercovici)- Senator, former Minister of Transportation, Constructions and Tourism, actual Minister of Transports and Infrastructure.
• Cristian Rădulescu, MP, PD Leader in the Chamber of Deputies
• Gheorghe Albu, MP
• Roberta Anastase, MP, President of the Chamber of Deputies
• Petru Filip, MEP, former Mayor of the municipality of Oradea
• Ioan Olteanu, MP
• Cezar Preda, MP
• Paunel Tise
• Alexandru Sassu (left for PSD)
• Bogdan Niculescu Duvăz (left for PSD together with Sassu)
• Daniel Buda
• Victor Babiuc, formerly in charge of the Ministry of Defence (currently member of the National Liberal Party - PNL)
• Radu Vasile, former Prime Minister of Romania (came from the Christian Democratic Party-PNŢCD)
• Anca Boagiu, former minister of European Integration
• Vasile Blaga, former Minister of Administration and Interior, actual Minister of Development and Housing
• Cristian Ilie, MP
• Elena Udrea, Minister of Tourism (since 2008)

Notes

1. ^ Bakke, Elisabeth (2010), "Central and East European party systems since 1989", Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989 (Cambridge University Press): p. 80, http://books.google.de/books?id=oFXdiS25N78C&pg=PA80&dq=pd-l+liberal+conservative&hl=de&ei=95rGTsKOC4zptQam6s2eBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false, retrieved 18 November 2011 
2. ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/romania.html
3. ^ Roper, p.66
4. ^ Roper, p.70
5. ^ Roper, p.79
6. ^ "Romania's prime minister names new Cabinet of minority government", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), April 2, 2007.
7. ^ Mediafax
8. ^ Chamber of Deputies Accessed online September 10, 2008

References

• Steven D. Roper, Romania: The Unfinished Revolution, Routledge, 2000, ISBN 9058230279
• Ioan, Scurtu ş.a., "Enciclopedia partidelor politice din România 1859-2003", Editura Meronia, Bucureşti, 2003.
• Florin-Vasile, Şomlea, "Partidele populare din ţările Uniunii Europene", Editura Cartimpex, Cluj-Napoca, 2007.

External links

• (Romanian) Democratic Liberal Party - Official website