89 days to elections. Economists are voting IMF

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L) coalition agreed that the data for the first round of presidential elections should take place on 22 November, a decision which must be validated by the government, PSD Senator Lia Olguta Vasilescu said yesterday.

Three candidates stand the best chance of entering the second round - Traian Basescu (PD-L), Mircea Geoana (PSD), and Crin Antonescu (PNL) - but they have not submitted an explicit program regarding a possible new government.

"Regardless of who will become President, there are some specific consequences, but these cannot be anticipated, because no firm political commitments have been made in Romania. In Italy, the promise that was made and kept was tax exemption, in France loans are being guaranteed, while in Germany, Angela Merkel is personally negotiating the Opel sale (...) In Romania, I only hope that the entire IMF [International Monetary Fund] loan will be spent on salaries and pensions. This can only happen once," said the Secretary General of the Association of Romanian Businesspeople, Cristian Parvan.

On the other hand, according to the Chief Economist of Raiffeisen, Ionut Dumitru, the IMF agreement is more important than the fact that 2009 is an electoral year in Romania. "These elections have a lower stake than others, because we are clearly monitored by the IMF. It does not matter who wins, but rather how we will abide by the terms of the agreement," Dumitru said.

money.ro