Romania's new president, Emil Constantinescu, belonged to the same political spectrum as the coalition cabinet headed by premier Victor Ciorbea. The UDMR s participation in the coalition seemed to mark a historic departure from the country's past of inter-ethnic animosities. Backed by strong domestic popularity and by international political and financial support, the country's new rulers seemed likely to succeed in putting the country on the road to genuine democratization and economic reform, both of which had been delayed for nearly seven years. But the Romanian coalition headed by Ciorbea did not benefit from the Bulgarian asset of negative experience. The fact that each of the three components was, in fact, not a party but an alliance of parties, complicated matters even more.
Bargaining is even more difficult in a coalition of coalitions.
Some success had been registered by the Ciorbea cabinet in economic macrostabilization in the first months of its four-year mandate. But public bickering among the coalition partners soon set in and their attention turned to matters of secondary importance. As a result, restructuring of the country's economy and microstabilization lagged behind. With a parliament divided and unable to pass coherent legislation, foreign investment failed to materialize, despite limited early progress. A reshuffle of the government materialized in early December.