The twilight of the idols. How PSD came a second -hand party after 3 decades at the top. Expert: “They are torn as Romania”

Perhaps the most controversial Romanian political party, the PSD dominated Romania for three and a half decades, but failed lamentably in the “Ciolacu era”. Security expert Hari Bucur Marcu talks about the failure of a colossus party and the incompetent leaders who brought him in the situation where he risks turning a gold hinge party.

Prime Minister Ciolacu fell from big horses. Photo: Inquam Photos – Octav Ganea

The Social Democratic Party has imposed on the first elections in the history of post-December Romania, when it was called the National Democratic Salvation Front. It had from the beginning the image of a controversial party, in which many former communists have occupied important positions and set the tone and direction of the party.

The years have passed, the name I changed, and all this time he faced schisms that away from throwing them in the precipice, strengthened him. This is how he lost the “Wing Petre Roman” first, which gave birth to the PD, a party in which Traian Basescu or Emil Boc managed to reach the most important functions even after they defeated their former pessimistic colleagues. We followed new schisms, the last related to the name of Victor Ponta, respectively Liviu Dragnea.

The twilight of the idols

Meanwhile, Marcel Ciolacu, the man who restored the USL, along with Klaus Iohannis, in an alliance that worked for almost 3 years, but led to the failure of both parties-PSD and PNL-in the last elections, in 2024 and 2025.

The earthquake came after the last defeat, on May 5, 2025, when the Coalition candidate, Crin Antonescu, failed to even enter the 2nd Presidential round. Previously, Marcel Ciolacu himself failed, in the November 2024 elections, but the time of the settlement was postponed, and the coalition agonized until these days.

The announcement of the resignation of Marcel Ciolacu, on May 6, from the position of prime minister, respectively head of the PSD, marks a new stage in the history of this mammoth party, in the meantime at the level of an average party.

PSD, at a historical minimum

Hari Bucur Marcu explains, in an analysis for the “truth”, how it was here and what were the causes of the PSD decline.

“The PSD has lately had the ambition to gather the communist nostalgic, security and so on, those who usually voted with Vadim Tudor or Dan Diaculescu. I estimate that their number was somewhere between 500,000 and 800,000. It is that they have the most mayors and a huge party apparatus, but which has been inefficient ”, says Hari Bucur Marcu.

However, corruption and cometry, present also in all other Romanian parties, were more important in the case of PSD. Even so, the PSD has been for years in a row the best organized party in Romania, which is also allowed to survive whenever its leaders were changed, or large groups of dissidents left it.

“The PSD was also the only party capable of party organizational work, as it is said. Because it is called, organizational party work, which meant the establishment of basic organizations everywhere. We remember that Octav Cozmăcă, a very good organizer. At the time they said before, the national salvation front or as they called it.says Hari Bucur Marcu.

Where did the decline start from

The expert also speaks of the beginning of the decline and links him to the appearance of the “young wolves” of the Victor Ponta generation.

“Instead of Ponta and his own coming up with modern ideas and reforming the Social Democrats, he and his own appeared as profiteers of all kinds. Let's say it directly, the next generation, the Ponta generation and his, were no longer quality. They did not go through the party school to learn organizational work. Corrupted, to reach all kinds of nullities and corrupt.“Adds the expert.

In his opinion, more than ever PSD is a party in which the people of Intelligence services draw the efforts. And here it would not be a novelty, because all the political parties, from the mainstream parties – PSD, PNL, USR and to the “sovereigns” gold, can and SOS are infiltrated and less or less driven by services.

“Here is a paradox, that those who should have come with a new breath, to be close to the values ​​of the European social democracy, connected to Europe, have mimicked this. They took the party on a natural person, but let's say this: they did not do it by their heads, so. They are controlled by services.says Hari Bucur Marcu.

Have fallen into their own trap

In parallel, the proximity to PNL removed many of the loyal voters of the PSD, and some have chosen to approach the gold. Others, more undecided, have not found a correspondent, while Victor Ponta broke an important hawk. With those who voted Ponta, Antonescu would have arrived without any emotion in round 2.

Hari Bucur Marcu. Photo: Adevărul archive

So far, the PSD has made a monumental mistake, the expert considers. He put a huge pressure on the CCR for the cancellation of the elections of 2024, which could not remain without effect. All at a time when PSD was already down and faced a real hemorrhage losing many voters.

“There were many things hidden there, and the truth is that the elections should not have been canceled. Călin Georgescu would not have won, he had no way. In fact, even Georgescu was Marcel Ciolacu's work. And PSD and PNL. They initially directed votes to Simion and gold, then to Călin Georgescu. Control of popular masses.
Believe Hari Bucur Marcu.

Today's PSD is torn between several factions. Marcel Ciolacu is in free fall, but there is a group that wants to continue the Alliance with PNL and UDMR and to support Nicușor Dan. However, there is another group that would prefer a gold alliance, in the idea that he believes that George Simion has the highest chances in Cotroceni.

“The party is torn, exactly as Romania is broken. We see that there are several factions. There are social democrats connected to Brussels, like Victor Negrescu, but I do not think they have many votes among the party. So it is possible to break PSD, as it is possible to break the whole country.”considers Hari Bucur Marcu.

Marcel Ciolacu is, in his opinion, the main culprit. Hari Bucur Marcu, who is also an economist at the base, harshly criticizes his decision to resign at such a delicate time, but also the economic policy of the Ciolacu Government, based on massive loans.

“We have no economic crisis of any kind, we should not have any problems. And under these conditions to do such a indebtedness of the country, to take the deficit to astronomical quotas, you cannot lower inflation and not be able to absorb European funds is inconceivable. coerentă. Așa ceva nu se poate. Au găsit vinovatul pe Donald Trump. Apoi, nu le-a fost de ajuns, au dat vina pe Simion pentru scăderea burselor și căderea leului. Să ne înțelegem, ar fi o catastrofă să ajungă Simion președinte. Dar pentru situația de acum vina ea lui Ciolacu. La deschiderea bursei, luni dimineața, nu sa întâmplat nimic, nu era nimeni supărat pe viitorul României. De-abia spre după masă când sa Ciolacu started to say that he resigns, from that moment he fell the stock market, and the euro took it up”, Hari Bucur Marcu says.