Surely Elena Lasconi is not the perfect leader, nor the ideal solution to lead the RSU. And we’ve been talking about the downsides of her reign over time; some, like a liberal leader’s stance on LGBTQ issues, have been clarified.
However, the truth is that, in this moment of potentially lethal crisis, the USR had no better option than Elena Lasconi.
And when I say this, I am not only referring to the lower-ranking opponents he defeated in the first round of the internal elections, with almost 70% of the votes, but also to the one who withdrew from the competition due to his German citizenship. . , Dominic Fritz.
He, an elegant figure and very good mayor of Timișoara, would only have been the front to lead from behind those who led the party to the disaster of June 9.
It is a known fact within the party and in a way was revealed by Cătălin Drulă himself in his resignation speech, warmly recommending Mr. Fritz as his replacement.
Why is Elena Lasconi the only current solution for RSU?
Because he embodies what we have rarely seen in Romanian politics since Traian Băsescu: a committed leader, with a mentality, charisma, reflexes and leadership track record.
Of course, this is just a premise, one that Ms. Lasconi may or may not confirm. She can grow politically to the stature of a national leader, which she does not yet possess, or she can inflate herself like Cătălin Drulă and explode.
She can either build up to become a formidable presidential candidate, which is currently only for emotional reasons, or she can become a rhetorical soap bubble about to burst, similar to the former USR president. It all depends on her.
For now, I would like to mention, always in the chapter of premises, that while the party was heading like an anesthetized flock towards the monumental nonsense called alliance with two dinosaur parties, Elena Lasconi publicly demanded a serious analysis and careful consideration of this decision, which led to USR failing to meet the 8% threshold in some local and county councils.
In these circumstances, it is politically rational to announce that the USR must stand alone in the next elections and to do so “it has to go out into the countryside, in sneakers, where there is poverty, fear and need for help,” while the USR retired to chew largely regurgitated slogans.
The real opportunity for Elena Lasconi
Ultimately, it is up to the USR to decide whether Lasconi is given a real chance to succeed beyond a first-round victory. The decision will be made in the congress that will elect the new National Bureau.
It will be time for the party to show whether it has learned anything from the fatal mistakes of the past. First of all, the mistake of electing a president and then voting for a hostile leadership structure that blocks the very project with which it won. The case of Dacian Cioloş.
If the USR wants to give Elena Lasconi a real opportunity to try to save a party on the brink of a coma, as demonstrated by its anemic presence in the elections, it should also give her a majority in the National Table. Not overwhelming, since the lack of opposition is dangerous, but enough to implement a project.
And Mrs. Lasconi’s list certainly includes good names, first of all, in my opinion, Claudiu Năsui, one of the most balanced members among the USR members and certainly ideologically well defined as a liberal.
On the other hand, perhaps the party should remember what it means by “sanctions” within the PSD and the PNL, more politically than legally, and reject an offer equivalent to denying its own principles that led to the percentages of the past.
What should Mrs. Lasconi do in the first stage?
Revitalize the party, remind it of its spirit, instil confidence in its capabilities and its internal democracy, shake it out of its grievance state and reconnect it with lost voters, even bringing back those ousted by the practices of the previous leadership. For now, the discourse of a victor has been inclusive, not exclusive.
And this is an important objective not only for the party; Ultimately, its fate matters only to its members and supporters. But the fate of the Opposition in Romania is extremely important for the entire society.
After the monumental failure of the USR in the European elections, after the disastrous alliance policy, the coalition plays on all fronts, its strength is only questioned by internal frictions and the only real opposition is the untouchable sovereignist one.
It is dangerous for democracy, it is toxic, so the fate of the Opposition matters far beyond its core supporters, even to those who have no sympathy for them at all. But the RSU, as it had become, was useless. It remains to be seen if Lasconi will change this gloomy status, but, as I mentioned, it is the best chance.
As for the presidential candidacy, I am skeptical about Ms. Lasconi’s chances of winning the election this year and, as I mentioned, I don’t think she is really ready yet. I was grateful that at Europa FM she recognized her need to learn from her and announced her intention to surround herself with the best advisors in key areas.
What it can do, and what I think it will do, is to revive a game that seems completely flattened, between entrenched structures and pseudo or grotesque candidates.
