All newspapers on Tuesday read about Romanian President Traian Basescu's opening an event where the candidates for the European Parliament elections of his loyal Democratic Party were announced.

Basescu used the occasion to raise the stakes in his battle with the governing Liberals by threatening with a referendum on the introduction of uninominal voting.

Elsewhere in the newspapers, yet anoher major character of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Corneanu, was found to have collaborated with the Communist secret police structures for almost 40 years.

Cotidianul reads mockingly that Basescu is the president of all Romanian Democrats. Basescu took part on Monday at the ceremony where the European Parliament candidates of his former political group, the Democratic Party, were introduced.

Moreover, Basescu, who as a President is not supposed to take political sides, did not forget to acclaim his former party members and encourage to them before the November 25 elections.

The newspaper further reads the reaction of the main opposition party, the Social Democrats and of the governing Liberals that challenge the constitutionality of the President’s act.

The paper compares Basescu’s support for his party with the actions undertaken by former Romanian President, Ion Iliescu who was harshly criticized for even meeting privately leaders of his party.

President Basescu did not miss the opportunity to promise that a referendum on the uninominal voting system will be held, Gandul reads.

However, the President did not officially request the referendum yet. The paper claims that the preferred date for the announcement is October 24.

The President’s declarations come minutes after the Liberal government announced it would assume responsibility for the uninominal voting system.

Evenimentul Zilei reads about the new uninominal voting proposal supported by the President. Basescu favors a voting system on the American model: namely, the winner takes all the votes and there is no redistribution of the remaining seats to other candidates.

On the other hand, PM Tariceanu favors the European model, a mixed one. This system allows seats to be redistributed according to the size of each party to the other candidates.

If a referendum is organized, chances are that Basescu will impose his own system upon the legislative, who would be forced to accept it.

Romania Libera notes that even if the referendum is organized on the same day of the upcoming elections, chances are that there will not be a 50% plus 1 turnout to validate the referendum.

Elsewhere in the news today, Archbishop Corneanu of the Banat region was found to have collaborated with the secret Communist police for almost 40 years.

During this time, he had the opportunity to travel abroad many times, to spy the Romanian ’’fugitives’’ abroad, as investigators claim.

Moreover, the paper notes that the Communist police structures had a great impact in naming Corneanu archbishop over his ’’positive’’ contributions.