Justice and Truth Alliance

Justice And Truth Alliance

The Justice and Truth Alliance (in Romanian: Alianţa Dreptate şi Adevăr, or D.A. for short) was a political alliance comprising two political parties in Romania: the centre-right liberal National Liberal Party (PNL) and the initially social-democrat Democratic Party (PD), which later switched to center-right ideology.

Although the National Union PSD+PUR had won the largest number of seats in the Parliament, the Justice and Truth Alliance formed the government from 2004 to 2007 in a coalition with the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania and the PUR, which had changed side after the Alliance-supported candidate won the presidential elections.

The alliance had its origins in a collaboration between the two parties which began in early 2002 at the initiative of the PNL's former president, Valeriu Stoica. The creation of the alliance was formally approved on September 29, 2003 by the executives of both parties, after months of negotiations between the parties. It was established as a vehicle for of coordinating opposition efforts against the ruling Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD). Its name was chosen in reference to the PSD's alleged corruption - as PNL president Theodor Stolojan put it, "we want the alliance to set us free from corruption and lies."

On October 25, 2004, the Justice and Truth alliance endorsed its co-chairman Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu (also the leader of the PNL) as its candidate in the 2004 Romanian legislative election. According to Popescu-Tăriceanu, the alliance's political priorities were:

• stimulating investments and private initiative;
• creating of new jobs and increasing net incomes to alleviate poverty;
• delivering a "responsible social policy" in the field of education, healthcare, pensions, and social assistance;
• fighting corruption;
• establishing a non-political judiciary.

In the 2004 presidential election and the simultaneous legislative election, held on November 28, the DA polled better than expected in both races. It came within a few percentage points of the PSD, eliminating the government's majority as a result. The alliance formed between Truth and Justice DA, UDMR and PUR have been declared the winner, forming simple majority (with 54.5% of the seats) and have been appointed to form the government. The protocols of alliance between DA and UDMR were signed on December 20, 2004 while those between DA and PUR were signed on December 23, 2004.

Their candidate, Traian Băsescu, won the presidential election and is subsequently President of Romania. D.A., alongside U.D.M.R. (The Democratic Hungarians' Union of Romania) and the Humanist Party of Romania PUR (which subsequently became the Conservative Party and, on December 3, 2006 quit the ruling coalition, leaving the remaining parties without a simple majority in the Parliament), were appointed to form the government.

In early April 2007, Popescu-Tăriceanu dismissed the Democratic Party ministers from the government and formed a minority government with the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, marking the end of the alliance.