The End of Postcommunism in Romania

Issue Date April 2005
Volume 16
Issue 2
Page Numbers 146-62
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The 2004 parliamentary and presidential elections saw the defeat of the former communists who ruled Romania for most of the period since the fall of communism. The outcome of the presidential election surprised many, with outgoing president Ion Iliescu replaced not by the favored Prime Minister Adrian Năstase of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), but by Bucharest mayor Traian Băsescu of the opposition Justice and Truth Alliance (DA). The country now has a democratic and pro-European government; the question is whether this new government will be able to break with the semi-authoritarian habits of its postcommunist predecessors and tackle persistent problems such as pervasive corruption and lack of transparency and accountability.

About the Authors

Vladimir Tismaneanu

Vladimir Tismaneanu is professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. His most recent book is The Devil in History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century (2012).

View all work by Vladimir Tismaneanu

Peter Gross

Peter Gross holds the Gaylord Family Endowed Chair and is professor of international communication at the University of Oklahoma. His books include Entangled Evolutions: Media and Democratization in Eastern Europe (2002).

View all work by Peter Gross