From the catwalk to Strasbourg
20/03/2009
The political ambitions of Romanian President Traian Basescu's youngest daughter are causing an uproar among bloggers.
By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest – 20/03/09
 Elena Basescu. [AFP] |
The name of fashion model Elena Basescu conjures up images of glamour and luxury but not necessarily those of political acumen. A year ago, the Romanian president's daughter publicly misspoke the plural form of the noun "success", sparking press ridicule. When she announced she would run for a European Parliament (EP) seat, the reactions were fast and furious.
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi -- a renowned political analyst whom the ruling party is trying to recruit for the June elections and president of the Romanian Academic Society (SAR) -- said she would never share a party list with the 28-year-old Basescu.
President Traian Basescu replied in an interview his daughter is "much smarter than you think". Amid the heated public debate, Elena Basescu announced on Wednesday (March 18th) she was quitting the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) to run as an independent but would rejoin it after the elections.
Bloggers shared their thoughts, which tended to be highly critical. "Elena Basescu as a character of [high] society I have no problem with. … But Elena Basescu as a representative of the new wave of politicians, that's something I have a problem with," said Andreea Vasile on the blog Inpolitics.
Mohui joined the critics' choir. "I wonder what will she say to the fellow European MPs? Will she lecture them about fashion, strange haircuts and a 5mm lipstick layer (...)?" she wrote.
"Can one write about Elena Basescu's candidacy for the European elections without flying into a rage?" Mihnea Marutza asks on his blog. "We have to wonder if she has the political experience and the intellectual capacity to represent Romania in the EP."
Some disagree with the prevailing sentiment. "I believe Elena has every chance of becoming Romania's youngest Euro MP. I am convinced Elena will raise double the necessary 100,000 signatures," wrote Victor Roncea, senior editor of the daily Ziua, on his blog.
Anne-Marie Blejan, journalist and European affairs specialist, says on her blog that young Basescu now will determine her own fate. "Her candidacy ... will help her either put an end to her political ambitions or prove to all of us who criticise her ... that we are terribly wrong," she concluded.
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