Tentative Good News

Good news out of Romania today, as exit polls show President Traian Basescu, who has been suspended for a month on bogus charges, winning over 75% in a "No Impeachment" vote. The Black Coalition against him, which has continued to hold power in the Parliament and the judiciary despite their steadily eroding popular support, will certainly jigger the vote some, but 75% leaves an awful lot of jiggering to do. This coalition includes what the European newspapers call a "conservative" party, because it is made up of members of the old communist Ceausescu regime, including much of the secret police; a rather militant Hungarian party, plus an assortment of socialist & communist parties. They won't just go away, of course, but regroup and try to find another way to stop this anti-corruption nightmare they are living through. Still, it's another solid kick to the still-formidable residue of communism in Romania.