Romania’s 2009 Democracy Score Worsens By 0.1 On Year - Report

The decline posted by the country's 2009 yearly democracy score was determined by Romania's lowered ratings for the electoral process, independent media and national democratic governance. The country's civil society, governance, local democratic governance, corruption and judicial framework and independence ratings were maintained. The 2008 Freedom House report did not lower Romania's score in any of the seven categories.

Romania's national democratic governance rating worsened from 3.75 in 2008 to 4.00 in 2009, on account of tensions within the then ruling social democrat-democrat liberal coalition. The dismissal of the Interior Ministry, followed by the no-confidence motion against Prime-Minister Emil Boc's Cabinet and the failure to appoint a new Government head before last year's presidential elections endangered further financial assistance from the IMF and the EU.

Romania's electoral process score deteriorated from 2.50 in 2008 to 2.75 in 2009 because of the "evidence of serious fraud and manipulation" in last year's presidential, European Parliament and referendum polls. Freedom House representatives also noted the inefficiency of the country's electoral watchdog, the Permanent Electoral Authority.

The country's independent media score weakened from 3.75 in 2008 to 4.00 in 2009, because of the perceived politicization of the media and the overall lowering of professional standards.

The Freedom House report also says the country failed to improve its civil society score of 2.50, because of the "the persistence of economic and political pressures" on independent civil bodies. The local governance rating also stagnated at 3.00, on account of a lack of reforms and an apparent undermining of local authorities by the Executive. The rating of Romania's judicial system was maintained at 4.00 because of the disruption caused by last year's magistrates' strike, balanced by the positive measures of adopting new Civil and Criminal Codes. The corruption rating also stagnated at 4.00, due to the initiation of criminal investigations against lawmakers, downplayed by a lack of palpable results in the same field.

Freedom House experts estimate that the country's biggest challenge for 2010 is the slim parliamentary majority, which might jeopardize the Government's "capacity to pass vital laws through Parliament."

Romania's poorest democracy score by Freedom House standards was the 3.79 obtained in 2002, while the most significant progress was recorded in 2007, when the country rated 3.29 in the "Nations in Transit" report.

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