New Romania Leader Pledges Reforms, Gets West’s Support

President-elect Emil Constantinescu pledged a new era of reforms Monday and won Western backing to guide his country toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union after his historic defeat of ex-Communists.

With 96% of the vote counted, Constantinescu, who turns 57 today, held a 54%-46% lead over President Ion Iliescu.

Constantinescu said the outcome amounted to a vindication of the 1989 revolt that brought down dictator Nicolae Ceausescu but did not fulfill its promise of real democratic and market reforms under the ex-Communists who then held power for seven years.

“I am convinced we will be able to make the necessary effort,” he said in a radio speech. “We will succeed if we do away with incompetence and theft and if the austerity program starts with austerity for the people at the top.”

He said his priorities were opening up capital markets, lifting restrictions on currency markets and ending foreign investment barriers to help raise Romanians from poverty-level wages of $100 a month.

Encouragement was swift in coming from the West.

French President Jacques Chirac, on a visit to Japan, said Constantinescu’s victory demonstrated “the openness of the Romanian people and its aspirations toward Europe.”

U.S. Ambassador Alfred Moses described the outcome as “a clear expression of democratic maturity that proved a peaceful change of government was possible.”

German Finance Minister Theo Waigel said Constantinescu’s pledges of reform “will significantly ease Romania’s way into European and Atlantic structures.”

Analysts predicted that the new government, drawn mainly from Constantinescu’s Democratic Convention, would take shape over the next seven to 10 days.