Ponta poised to win first round of Romania vote
Bucharest (AFP) - Prime Minister Victor Ponta looks set to win the first round of presidential elections in Romania Sunday amid fears that, if elected, he could reverse advances in the justice system.
The 42-year-old centre-left politician has enjoyed a comfortable lead over 13 other candidates and looks set to face 55-year-old liberal Klaus Iohannis, from the German-speaking minority, in a second round on November 16 in the former communist country.
The elections are seen as a crucial test for Romania, as well as central Europe, at a time when democracy has suffered setbacks in some neighbouring countries, such as Hungary, and as the Ukraine crisis has shaken relations between the European Union and Russia.
Popular centre-right President Traian Basescu, a long-term rival who has accused Ponta of being a former spy, is unable to run for a third term.
The new president will face a number of pressing issues including the economy, which is back in recession, and persistent challenges of corruption and bad governance.
Romania is the second poorest country in the European Union after Bulgaria.
"I think these elections can be a maturity test for Romania," said Corina Rebegea from the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington.
The country needs "a president who can imprint a clear sense of vision about how we continue to build a democratic system of governance and rule of law, and proves that 25 years of transition are worth something."
Forty percent of the population "still believe life under communism was better."
- Justice in danger? -
But despite great progress in the justice system in recent years -- which has even jailed a former prime minister found guilty of corruption -- many fear a backlash ahead.
The electoral campaign was marked by numerous criminal charges and announcements of corruption probes by the anti-corruption prosecutor (DNA), including many aimed at political allies of the prime minister.
Although Ponta has promised to keep the justice system independent, his regular criticism of the DNA, which he considers to be partisan, has stirred trouble.
On what was dubbed "black Tuesday" in December 2013, parliament adopted amendments, developed by Ponta's coalition, which aimed at giving super-immunity to elected officials.
Although the changes were not implemented in the end, the attempt served as a wake-up call.
Advances in the justice system could be "reversed in two days" and more progress was needed, Livia Stanciu, president of the Supreme Court, told AFP.
Ponta's political allies who are under investigation will no doubt pressure him to "change the course of justice once becoming president", said Laura Stefan from the Expertforum think tank in Bucharest.
-'Shame'-
Experts hope that increased surveillance from Brussels will be a safeguard against any regression in the southeastern European country bordering the Black Sea.
But Romanians must ultimately be in control, said Monica Macovei, a European deputy and independent candidate.
"I would be ashamed to ask for help from the European Union," the former justice minister said recently.
After two stormy and paralysing years of cohabitation between Ponta and Basescu the country needs to carry out reforms quickly, particularly in public administration.
The recession-hit economy is desperately in need of a boost in a country where the average monthly salary is 380 euros ($480) and more then 20 percent of under-25s are unemployed, according to official statistics.
Foreign investments have dropped in the past five quarters, mainly due to Romania's chronic incapacity to manage investment programmes or correctly use European funds, said Gabor Hunya, from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
Growth is due to drop to 2.2 percent this year, from 3.5 percent in 2013, according to the government.
