Financiarul

Spokesman for presidential candidate Traian Basescu, Sever Voinescu, told a news conference on Friday that electoral debate has entered its dirtiest stage and that the video images purportedly showing President Basescu hitting a child are seriously and deliberately doctored.

‘Yesterday evening the canvassing for electing Romania’s President entered its full miserable stage. Instead of watching debating each other and let citizens decide for themselves, free of any influence, who will be the one to lead the country in the next five years, we are forced to discuss a dubious and vague filming aired on the screens of the moguls’ televisions for obviously electoral purposes,’ Voinescu told journalists at the campaign of President Traian Basescu, endorsed for re¬election by the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L).

He pointed out that in reply to the images broadcasted by several television channels President Traian Basescu said loud and clear that he has never hit any child.
‘As regards the alleged incident that would have happened five years ago in Ploiesti, we can prove through arguments that the images publicly broadcasted are seriously and deliberately doctored,’ said Voinescu.

He also said that Traian Basescu will not deviate from his electoral schedule and that he is still waiting for his challenger Mircea Geoana to attend the debates where he was invited, mentioning that they could be held on Monday and Friday by the TVR public channel, on Wednesday by the Antena 3 commercial television and on Thursday by Pro TV commercial station.

‘If this distraction has been launched in an attempt to turn the election away from the stakes of these debates, we are informing the doers that, as far as President Basescu is concerned, they will not succeed,’ the spokesman said. Voinescu added that the accusation levelled by businessman Dinu Patriciu against Traian Basescu has not been confirmed yet by any eyewitnesses identified in the video.

‘By corroborating our arguments today with the stances of the eyewitnesses we will easily reach the conclusion that the shooting was doctored with the sole purpose of stopping Traian Basescu from winning re-election,’ he said. ‘Romanians will decide on December 6 at the ballot box the name of the future president. We are convinced that this proved frame-up will weigh in heavily on the voters’ decisions,’ said Voinescu.
Also attending the news conference was CEO of Magma Advertising production studio Lucian Blaga, who brought evidence that the video shooting in question was doctored.