Small Political Party Attempts to Gain Political Capital using New Patriarch’s Pre- Elections Circumstances

National Initiative Party, a non-parliamentarian small party, attacked the initiative of Vice President of Democratic Party, Sorin Frunzaverde [also memeber of the Church National Electoral College] on declaring his favourite candiate for Eelections of the new Patriarch of Romania.

Cosmin Guse, President of National Initiative Party reacted very quick and tough to statement of Sorin Frunzaverde regarding Daniel of Moldova as future Patriarch, asking Frunzaverde to abstain from putting into effect any influence. Guse also said that it is not the first time when Frunzaverde used his twofold influencing power as he was strongly and succesfully involved also in the very tide elections for Metropolitanate of Ardeal, taking side with Bishop Laurentiu, now Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Ardeal.

National Initiative Party address also to the National Grand Lodge of Romania regarding Patriarchal Elections.

Given the fact that Sorin Frunzaverde is [or was according to his late sttement] a freeemason the National Initiative Party addressed to Grand Master, Eugen Ovidiu Chirovici to apart the National Grand Lodge of Romania from any statement made by freemasons in case of Patriarchal elections in Romania.

Trying get the attention of the Romanian electorate, National Intitiative Party [NIP], as a small, non-parlamentarian party [also attempting to participate in Euro-Parlamentarian elections] is trying to use the circumstances after Patriarch Teoctist death and become important “protector” of Church values. Thus, the President Cosmin Guse stated with much stanchness that “ the vote for the new Patriarch has not to be traced outside but stay inside the Church National Electoral College and the vot has to be given according to the values, traditions and the by-laws the are governing the Church".

The worries of NIP are not real, as out of 170 electors ony eight to ten are also politicians. NIP is mostly trying to use as political platform the circumstances and attract electorate as according to statistisc the most trustable institution in Romania is the Orthodox Church.

Vice President of Demorcatic Party, Sorin Frunzaverde Declared his Favourite Candidate as New Patriarch of Romania: Daniel of Moldova and Bucovina

Nowdays Vice President of Democratic Party, former Minister of Waters, Forests, and Environment [1997-1998 Februry], former Minister of Turism [April – December 1998], former minister of National Defence March-december 2000], stated that the future Patriarch of Romania will be Metropolitan of Moldova.

Sorin Frunzaverde is member of the Romanian Church National Electoral College, the one that will finaly elect the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church at the proposal of the Holy Synod which will come with one up to three candidates.

In spite the fact that the mass media, early before his statement, already launched a debate on how much the elections will be influenced by the political parties, and published the list of the about eight politicians that are members in the Church National Electoral College, Sorin Frunzaverde state his opinion declaring that “personally I will involve myself for Matropolitan Daniel of Moldova”.

Post – Mortem Decoration of Partiarch Teoctist Creates Political Controversy

The leader of the Conservative Party, Mr. Dan Voiculescu stated that given the fact that the President of Romania post-mortem decorated Patriarch Teoctist with Star of Romania in Rank of Collar, Traian Basescu has to explain why he assumed and promulged the Tismaneanu Report on Condemnation of Communism, were Tismaneanu [by the way … the child of hard Communists leaders that have been marginalized in the 50s, now professor of politology in USA]wrote that: “Patriarch Teoctist was reliable to the Communist regime and a messenger of the communist political power”.

Dan Voiculecu said: “Basescu has to explain when was he laying: when assumed the Tismaneanu report in spite of all criticism on the accuracy and misdocumentation of it or when he post-mortem decoarated Patriarch Teoctist”. He accused Basescu of cynism and hypocrisy and ask for “clarification and a public statement retracting the accusations of the Tismaneanu report”.

The mass-media comments were in favour to Dan Vasilescu, stating that, comparing to Basescu decree of decoration, the Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania decorated Patriarch Teoctist with the Star of Romania in Rank of Grand Cross [the second rank of Star of Romania] for his merites, efforts and contribution to the Church Unity and Peace right after the historical visit of Pope John Paul II. The media commented that for Basescu Patriarch Teoctist was not good alive but is excelent while death.