Romania Rulers Target of Spreading Distrust : Eastern Europe: Mass protests and accusations of campaign sabotage reveal fears that the party in power harbors old-line Communists.

Thousands of disillusioned Romanians massed in University Square on Friday night in what has become a ritual demand for the resignation of interim President Ion Iliescu and postponement of elections now set for May 20.

The protests and vociferous complaints by opposition parties that their campaigns are being sabotaged by the ruling National Salvation Front have failed to persuade authorities that the ballot should be delayed to give fledgling political forces more time to organize for a fair fight.

But the demonstrations that have grown in intensity over the past two weeks have brought to the forefront accusations that the Front harbors Communist holdovers from the toppled regime of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. And in this nation, said to have suffered the worst of East European dictatorships, any hint of a return to the ideology imposed by terror stirs passionate protest and fear that the revolution of last December has failed.

After sunset Friday, at least 5,000 anti-Iliescu demonstrators converged on the square to shout demands that the president resign and to cheer on speakers denouncing communism.

Similar protests have broken out in major cities throughout Romania in recent days, and state-run national television, alleged to be under Front control, has carried footage of the chanting and singing that continues by torchlight through the wee hours of each night.

By daylight, the vast square hung with banners and littered with the refuse of two weeks of nonstop rallies remains sealed off to traffic by several hundred students who have strung cords across Nicolae Balsescu Boulevard to create a “neo-Communist-free zone.”

The site has become a rallying point for Romanians disenchanted with the volatile and corrupt political atmosphere that has grown out of their revolt against oppression. And the growing numbers braving the nighttime chill and ever-present threat of violence are testimony to the strength of Romania’s struggle to prevent a Communist resurgence.

The Front is accused of supporting a compromise pact between socialism and market economics, although its leaders deny any desire to find the legendary “third way.”

Those accusations, justified or not, have boosted the party’s appeal among workers in heavy industries that would be targeted for mass layoffs in any attempt at economic restructuring.

Miners and others who support the Front have issued veiled threats against the demonstrators, accusing them of destabilizing the nation and damaging its image abroad.

Adrian Nastase of the Front’s 71-member governing council denies that his party is behind scores of incidents of harassment and intimidation reported by candidates from rival parties.

“I cannot say these incidents didn’t occur, but they cannot be of help to us in our campaign,” he contended.

To the charge that Iliescu is a Communist in reformer’s clothing, Nastase says the charismatic front-runner for the presidency is symptomatic of a nationwide dilemma over what to do with the 4 million former members of the party that ruled with ultimate power for 45 years.

“No one wants Communists in Romania anymore. We have suffered too much,” Nastase says. “But there is a problem with what to do with the ex-members.”

Nastase denies that the party seeks to restore the Communist order ousted more than four months ago with the execution of Ceausescu and his wife, Elena. He says the Front is confident it has already gained the trust of the people and will win the election two weeks away. It has strongly opposed any postponement, arguing that such action would increase Romania’s difficulties in attracting foreign investments.

Opponents such as Ion Ratiu, a millionaire exile who returned from Britain earlier this year to mount a run for president, accused the Front of outright obstruction of their efforts to challenge the interim rulers. Ratiu is described by Western diplomats as a rich gadfly able to bankroll a fantasy quest to be crowned ruler of his native land. But they say his and other complaints of harassment are too frequent and consistent to be dismissed as campaign propaganda.