Basescu, Traian

Basescu, Traian (trīän' bäses'kOO) [key], 1951–, Romanian political leader, president of Romania (2004–). An officer in the Romanian merchant marine from 1976, he rose to become an oil-tanker captain (1981–87). After the collapse of communism (1989), Basescu joined the newly formed center-right Democratic party and served as Romania's transportation minister (1991–92, 1996–2000) and in parliament (1992–96). As transport minister, he worked toward the privatization of the country's commercial fleet. In 2000 he was elected mayor of Bucharest, where he sought to modernize the city and improve living conditions for many residents. Four years later he narrowly defeated Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, a Socialist, to win Romania's presidency. In that post, he has fought corruption and instituted a number of reforms, but he also engaged in bitter political battling with the center-right prime minister, Calin Tariceanu. In 2007, after the parliament impeached him on charges of unconstitutional conduct, he remained in office when three fourths of the voters refused to approve the impeachment.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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