Romanian politics. Oh, brother.

THERE is no shortage of drama and intrigue in Romanian politics. Traian Basescu, a former sea captain, was elected in December 2004 after an anti-corruption campaign that deliberately echoed Ukraine’s Orange revolution at the same time. On June 19th, in tears, he said: “Between the need to ensure an independent justice system and the natural reflex of protecting your brother, I choose justice.” His younger brother, Mircea, had been put in preventive custody after being accused of taking a €250,000 ($340,000) bribe from a convicted criminal, Sandu Anghel, who hoped that a president’s brother might help to get him out of an eight-year prison sentence for stabbing his nephew.

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