They broke one of his fingers

By the action in Parliament on Wednesday, the opposition seems to have aimed for an artistic effect when burning the supreme leader’s effigy. After ramming on the agenda the request to revoke Liviu Dragnea from the head of the Chamber of Deputies, the liberals had proclaimed the dictator’s fleeing. Neither the PSD’s leader nor Iordache can lead the Chamber’s proceedings anymore, Ludovic Orban decreed, proceeding then to a symbolic excommunication of sorts. „Dragnea is hiding like a rat in a hole in the ground,” the liberal chief announced at the end of the assault on the enemy that was absent from the battlefield.

On his turn, the leader of the USR has put it in plain terms for the people to understand what all the commotion was about on Wednesday in Parliament. „Romania saw that Liviu Dragnea is not an immortal,” Barna said. To show that he’s alive and kicking, the PSD leader emerged a few hours later smiling like never before. With an almost defiant poise, he accused the head of the state of wanting to „snatch” power and launched various conspiracy theories.

Towards evening, it was president Klaus Iohannis himself that poured a little gasoline on the flame lit earlier in Parliament: „I have not had time for this, but I think it’s worth trying again and I hope that the opposition will succeed.” The president added that he’s tired of „so many criminals and felons at the top of the Romanian politics” signaling that he’s waking up after another long period of hibernation. „So, if we want anything else, we have to act,” said Iohannis, somewhat surprising for a president-spectator.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, Dragnea is still the president of the Chamber of Deputies, still the leader of the PSD, and just as determined to force the government to issue the decree on amnesty and pardon. All that the opposition has done is break one of his fingers. This small public act of torture was meant for the members of the PSD. It was for them, that little scene in Parliament, to convinced them that today Dragnea is a weak leader, captive, more-and-more deserted by his own party, barely clinging on to power, totally dependent on Tariceanu and UDMR for support.

Simply put, the opposition is seeking to deepen the split between Dragnea and his party, to diminish his ability to influence the Government, to encourage new betrayals, and to dispel thus his image of an all-powerful leader.

On the other hand, the PNL, USR, PMP and Pro Romania are hoping to increase their chances of passing the upcoming motion of no confidence, though the G4Media.ro calculations show that the chances are slim for the opposition to come up with the necessary votes to bring down Dancila’s Government. The symbolic excommunication of Liviu Dragnea, the burning of his effigy, remain just a show, with no practical short or medium-term effects. In the long run, though, it chips-away a bit more at the authority of the supreme leader. They did break one of his fingers, but that’s all.

Traducerea: Ovidiu Harfas