Draft:Pesedism

Pesedism
Preceded by	National communism Ceaușism
Ideology	Social democracy Christian democracy Social conservatism Romanian nationalism Populism Kleptocracy (allegedly)
Political position	Centre-left or Big tent
Religion	Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR)
National affiliation	Social Democratic Party
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists
European Parliament group	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Politics of Romania Political parties Elections

Pesedism is the informal name given to the ideology of the Romanian Social Democratic Party. The name is derived from the abbreviation PSD (pronounced "Pesede"). An adherent to this ideology is called a Pesedist (masculine) or Pesedistă (feminine).

Origins

Pesedism has its origins in the National Salvation Front, a social democratic party which ruled Romania after the fall of communism. After the party split, those adhering to the western European model of social democracy formed the Democratic Party (PD), and eventually adopted neoliberal economic policies and became the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), while more nationalist and socially conservative elements formed the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) and eventually the modern-day Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Doctrine

Pesedism is centred around three main principles:

• Social democracy, or support for a social market economy, which aims to create and uphold a capitalist economy while regulating it to benefit the people, such as through progressive taxation, high public spending, and increased old-age pensions, also including a certain level of economic populism;
• Conservatism, based on Orthodox Christian values, such as support for the traditional family (opposition to LGBT rights) and traditional gender roles;
• Moderate nationalism, including Christian nationalism and economic nationalism, sometimes coming into conflict with the European Union but moderate in so far as to not advocate leaving it (Soft Euroscepticism), also sometimes viewed as a form of left-wing nationalism.

Parties

Main parties

• National Salvation Front (1989–1992)
• Democratic National Salvation Front (1992–1993)
• Party of Social Democracy in Romania (1993–2001)
• Social Democratic Party (2001–present)

Splinter parties

• Alliance for Romania (1997–2002)
• Romanian Social Party (2015–2018)
• PRO Romania (2017–present)
• Alliance for the Homeland (2021–2023)
• Nation People Together (2022–present)
• Romania Reborn Movement (Neo-Pesedism)
  • Romania in Action Party (2023–present)

Satellite parties

• Through the Red Quadrilateral (1992–1996):
  • Romanian National Unity Party
  • Greater Romania Party
  • Socialist Party of Labour
  • Democratic Agrarian Party of Romania
• Through the Social Democratic Pole of Romania (2000–2003):
  • Romanian Social Democratic Party
  • Romanian Humanist Party
• Through the Social Liberal Union (2011–2014):
  • National Liberal Party
  • Conservative Party
  • National Union for the Progress of Romania
  • Green Party (until 2013)
• Through the PSD–ALDE Alliance (2014–2019):
  • Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
• Through the National Coalition for Romania (2021–present):
  • National Liberal Party
  • Social Liberal Humanist Party
  • Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (until 2023)

Criticism

Pesedism has been described by its critics as kleptocratic, authoritarian, autocratic, illiberal, and corrupt.

See also

List of left-conservative political parties