Romania swears in president Traian Basescu
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-21 10:06

Traian Basescu took office Monday as Romania's third president since 1989, and he pledged to clean up rampant corruption and carry out reforms that will ready the country for European Union membership.

Basescu, the mayor of Bucharest, replaced Ion Iliescu, who led Romania for 11 years. Basescu defeated Prime Minister Adrian Nastase earlier this month in a closely contested election.

"We can't talk about joining the EU without solving the two fundamental problems we face: corruption and poverty," Basescu said in a ceremony held in front of Parliament.

Romanian President Traian Basescu applauds after being sworn in as the new Romanian president during a special session of parliament in Bucharest, Romania, late Monday night Dec. 20, 2004. [AP]

Basescu, who will serve a five-year term, also pledged to improve democracy and press freedoms and protect state institutions from political interference.

Iliescu, a 74-year-old former Communist official, came to power during the 1989 uprising that toppled dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Romania's other post-Communist president was centrist Emil Constantinescu in 1996-2000.

As he left office earlier Monday, Iliescu said Romania was in "profoundly better" shape than when he first became president.

"From an autarchic, isolated Romania in the last years of Ceausescu's regime to the Romania that is a NATO member and future member of the European Union was a long and difficult road," he said.

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