Win for a sharp and witty political novice

ROMANIA: When Traian Basescu tearfully accepted his party's nomination for president, few gave the former sea captain a chance of leading his country just two months later.

The mayor of Bucharest was lampooned for crying over the withdrawal from the election race of his mentor, Mr Theodor Stolojan, and faced nagging campaign jibes that he lacked the necessary brains and charisma to lead Romania into the European Union.

But a self-effacing manner and wry debating style swept Mr Basescu (53), to a shock victory on Sunday and left his relentlessly well-groomed rival, the Prime Minister, Mr Adrian Nastase (54), looking like an expensive and outdated stuffed shirt.

Mr Basescu flourished in his TV clashes with Mr Nastase, relishing the cut-and-thrust of live debate while his opponent blustered and floundered.

Mr Nastase's victory had seemed assured after he triumphed in the first round of voting in late November and his Social Democratic party (PSD) narrowly beat Mr Basescu's Jus- tice and Truth Alliance (DA) in a simultaneous parliamentary poll.

Mr Nastase was confident that the support of the influential Orthodox and overwhelming popularity of the PSD in the countryside would lead him to a presidency vacated by his own mentor, Mr Ion Iliescu.

While most Romanians said that the PSD seemed mired in corruption after running the country for most of the past 15 years, many also doubted that anything would change under the DA and Mr Basescu.

Even in Bucharest - where Mr Basescu is variously loved and loathed for trying to eradicate its hordes of stray dogs - many thought that he lacked gravitas and that Mr Nastase simply seemed more "presidential".

To a foreign observer, the prime minister was often indistinguishable from a podgy windbag in an Italian suit, unable to use five words when 50 would do, while Mr Basescu was sharp, witty and sure of his message, hammering the former communist PSD's record of corruption, vote-rigging and intolerance of critical media.

Mr Nastase and most of the PSD's top brass served under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu while Mr Basescu was captaining oil tankers. Critics question whether he has the political skill to guide Romania through tough reform ahead of EU entry in 2007.

They also wonder if the political experience he does have will come back to haunt him: unsubstantiated rumours persist that he made a remarkable amount of money as transport minister, when he oversaw the sale of much of Romania's fleet.