A recent Reuters article by Romanian writer Radu Marinas compares President Basescu's backing of new PM Ungureanu with former Russian President Boris Yeltsin backing Vladimir Putin and tips Ungureanu as a likely presidential candidate. Calling the move the “Putin Plan,” Marinas points out the similarities. “The president of a former communist country in economic turmoil anoints a security service chief as his successor. Sound familiar?”

The article draws attention to the 2014 expiry date on Traian Basescu's presidency and, although any official announcement is a long way off, puts Ungureanu forward as a strong possibility for a presidential candidate.

The Reuters article quotes an unnamed PDL deputy as saying, "He stands a strong chance of winning the presidency of Romania two years from now." Former PM Emil Boc is unlikely to be a successful candidate, according to the Reuters article, because of the unpopularity he has brought on himself by spearheading the implementation austerity measures.

Read the Reuters article.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com