38
concurrently (for more see Popescu 2003; on election results see
http://www.essex.ac.uk/elections
).
Despite the dearth of changes in the institutional framework regarding
representative institutions and elections, the Romanian party scene has been in an
apparent constant flux, splinters and mergers, changes in party name and in party
affiliation of more or less prominent politicians being the most emphasized
characteristics. Yet, largely despite name changes and temporary alliances, roughly the
same political entities were represented in parliament and the political scene has been
dominated by the less reformist splinter of the initial National Salvation Front winner or
the 1990 elections and its leader Ion Iliescu. The Social Democratic Party, as it is called
since 2001,
16
is a party considered by most commentators and political scientists as the
communist successor party due more to its policies and membership (numerous second
and third rank former Communist Party activists) than to its claims or its image within the
Romanian electorate.
17
This party was in government since 1990, first as part of the FSN,
then from 1992 to 1996 part of the time in coalition with the nationalist parties, and
currently since 2000 as a minority government. Ion Iliescu was president of Romania
before the enactment of a new constitution between 1990 and 1992 and then from 1992 to
1996 and again from 2000 until 2004.
The last two elections were lost by the governmental parties. The 1996 elections
brought the first alternation in government in post-communist Romania as well as a new
president, whilst the 2000 elections brought back to government the Social Democratic
Party and Ion Iliescu as president. In 1996 the high initial expectations were soon
followed by disappointment: the promised change was not visible either in the
functioning of the economy or in the style of politics. On the contrary, the governmental
coalition was marred by incessant conflicts between the component parties, as well as by
corruption and incompetence scandals. The 2000 election campaign focused mainly on
16
From 1991 to 1993 the party was called the Democratic National Salvation
Front and from 1993 to 2001 the Romanian Party of Social Democracy, running in the
2000 elections in an alliance with the historical Social Democratic Party and Humanistic
Party of Romania, the party of a millionaire businessman owner of the television channel
Antena 1 and employed the same acronym P.D.S.R.
Convention