Romania Is Ruled By the Family and With the Family

They are all in-laws. Coincidence or not, they are all in-laws and they are ruling the country. This was true the day before yesterday, when the Christian-Democrats were ruling - and Ion Diaconescu’s nephews followed their famous uncle and great-uncle in positions of power; it was true yesterday, during the Social Democrat Party ruling, as it is true today, during the center-right government.

This time, however, is the time of godfathers and godsons - literally. Emil Boc, the head of the Democrat Party ssenior member of the ruling coalitiont, anointed his godchild, Alin Tise, as Cluj County prefect.
Former deputy-PM, Gheorghe Seculici, is an in-law of President Traian Basescu too, since Basescu became his daughter’s godfather when she married Gheorghe Falca, the mayor of Arad city and former president of the youth organization of the Democrat Party.

Basescu is also the godfather of Ion Carstoiu’s daughter, the former deputy and current Arges County prefect. This close family ties gave Carstoiu grounds to rant against "Godfather Basescu", when the latter sas president of the Democrat Party, at the timet struck him out of the party’s electoral roster at last year’s parliamentary elections.
Rumor has it that Basescu is also the godfather of Laurentiu Mironescu, a House member and former director of the Constanta Port, and of Razvan Taru, head of the Veterinary Agency.

And the trend of overlapping in-law links with party links goes on.
Two weeks ago, Adriean Videanu, Bucharest mayor and executive president of the DP, became the godfather of Liviu Negoita, mayor of Bucharest 3rd ward and DP vice-president, when he witnessed the latter’s marriage.

In other cases the family links are even stronger.
Cezar Preda, DP vice-president, is married to Janina Preda, president of the National Agency for Regulating the Public Services in the Cities.
House member Cozmin Popp is the nephew of DP treasurer, George Ivascu.
House member Mircea Cuzino Stanescu is the son of Sorin Rosca Stanescu, director of the Ziua daily and a close friend of President Basescu.
Nelu Boc is the brother of DP president, Emil Boc, and was into politics since 1992, when he led the SDP local organization in Margau village.
While their sister, Dorina Kudor, is heading the women’s organization of the DP in County Cluj.

The list of in-laws and relatives at the helm is also long for the members of the National Liberal Party sthe other senior member in the ruling coalitiont.
Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the PM and the NLP president, is the godfather of Bogdan Olteanu, minister for the relationship of the Executive with the Parliament.
And neither of them kept the relationship a secret.
Former NLP president sand current presidential advisert Theodor Stolojan is the godfather of Raluca Turcan, formerly Tatarcan. She was in charge of public relations till the fall 2004 elections, after that becoming a House member. Her husband, Valeriu Turcan, was at first public relations adviser to PM Tariceanu, and then become the head of the Agency for Governmental Strategies.

No godfather should resign his duty of taking care of his godsons. PM Tariceanu lives by this rule, and did not abandon his in-laws, even after they strayed away from party lines, as did his godson Caius Parpala, who was a NLP member since 1990, but joined the SDP, when the latter ruled the country.
Parpala is rumored to be the next director of the Timisoara Regional Section of the National Road System, after he rejoined the NLP early this year. Parpala said he is Tariceanu’s godson since the early 1990, when the latter witnessed his marriage.

Tariceanu did not forget to fend for another godson too: Stefan Cosmeanu. This one became the head of the National Agency for Regulating the Natural Gas Field.
Godfather Tariceanu and godson Cosmeanu negotiated this summer when the Agency wanted to introduce a compulsory gas subscription.
This did not seemed right even for Radu Berceanu, PD House member, who said in an interview, that he had nothing against Tariceanu and Cosmeanu being related, but thought the Agency should have been led by a qualified person. The Government spokesperson denied at the time the family links between Tariceanu and Cosmeanu disclosed by Berceanu.

The chain of close family ties goes further.
Adrian Cucu, heading the Financial Guard, and Daniel Chitoiu, vice-president of the Agency for Fiscal Administration in the Ministry of Finance, is alleged to be the godsons of Dan Radu Rusanu, deputy head of the NLP.
Teodor Atanasiu, the defense minister, named his godson, Mircea Nicusor Mihai, as general manager of Romtehnica - the national company in charge with arms acquisition and building.

In the process, some upsets of family ties also occur.
Sebastian Vladescu, the minister of finance, was in 2000 the godfather of NLP House member Cristian Boureanu, when the latter married. However, after the Boureanus divorced, Vladescu was briefly married to his former goddaughter.

PM Tariceanu kept closer not only in-laws, but friends too.
Aleodor Francu, head of the PN Chancellery, is his friend for the past 15 years.
So is Vladescu, the minister of finance.
Gabriel Zbarcea, former head of the Agency in Charge with Selling the State Assets, was a former colleague of Tariceanu’s second wife.
Until Zbarcea’s recent resignation, they all were members of the Commission for the privatization of the Romanian Commercial Bank, along minister Olteanu.