PM Grindeanu: We are witnessing a personal war of one man, Liviu Dragnea, alongside a small group
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu says that right now we are witnessing a personal war of one single man, Liviu Dragnea alongside a small group around him, in a moment Romania has had in front of it a great opportunity, with an economy registering record growth.
"It is the worst that could have happened to Romania in a moment it had in front of it a great opportunity. We have an economy that is recording outstanding growth and this is not our saying, it is affirmed by the European Union and by all of the international financial bodies, and we enjoy an extraordinary opening in the Western chancelleries. Huge efforts were made to put Romania on the right track and we are restarting to really count (...) Liviu Dragnea uses the party (PSD, ed. n.) to put down own Government. This is outrageous," Sorin Grindeanu told a news conference at the Victoria Palace where several TV stations participate.
The Premier also said that the no confidence motion is not even motivated.
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu believes that the no confidence motion would "certainly" not be passed and transmitted his PSD peers that they should be aware that any vote for the motion means less power for the party and more power for president Klaus Iohannis.
"There are enough colleagues in the PSD who do not agree Liviu Dragnea's way to rule the PSD and the fact that we are to vote a censure motion against our own gov't. It will certainly not pass. I know there are enough responsible people who know that they cannot oust their own party from ruling. I wish my colleagues be aware that once the censure motion passed, then we'll be at the president Iohannis's hand. I said these things in the Executive Committee," premier Grindeanu stressed.
Grindeanu recalled that in 2015 the PSD submitted to the Cotroceni Palace the proposal of Liviu Voinea for Prime Minister, and the president designated Dacian Ciolos instead, and then in December 2016, Liviu Dragnea attempted to get Prime Minister himself but couldn't and the party submitted the proposal for Sevil Shhaideh for Premier and the head of the state declined it.
"All odds are there to make me believe that this could happen again. There is the risk to have early elections. In that moment all the work of the hundreds of thousands of PSD members to win the (general) election will be in vain and we'll take it from square one. I wish to have stability in Romania and this must exist in the PSD, too. Only a kitchen chair could not understand that right now our country has a great opportunity, both political and economic. We must be clever and capitalize this opportunity," Grindeanu emphasised.
The premier reasserted that in the following days he will have meetings, in a "transparent, open way" for support talks with other political formations.
În his opinion, a Social Democrat Party (PSD extraordinary congress is the forum to debate and resolve "the problems in the party" that have arisen in the past two-three years and which led to the present situation.
"I am interested in convoking this congress to debate the background problems of the PSD. I do not want to run for the chairmanship of the PSD. Let us be well understood. I want to resolve the problems of the party that appeared, unfortunately, in the last maybe two to three years and which brought us to the situation of today. Surely the congress will show — I repeat, the supreme forum, according to the statute, of leadership in the PSD — will show very, very good solutions, and the vote will be the one to decide. Beyond who is chairman, the mechanism by which this party functions, it's important to not close it in a small circle of stakeholders, it's important to open up this party, the strategy that we will adopt for the future is important, I believe these are the important things. Beyond who leads temporarily, as I told you last night, nobody has the PSD on his property log, not even Mr. Dragnea is owner. It's not in his registry," said Sorin Grindeanu, in a press conference at the Victoria Palace, when asked if he wants to run for PSD leadership if an extraordinary congress is organized.
The Prime Minister also said that the force of the PSD comes from the party's activists, adding that, at this time, these people are being neglected by the current leadership.
He asked Social Democrat Party (PSD) leader, Liviu Dragnea, to assume responsibility for political crisis, mentioning that, after the Social Democrat leader resigns, he too will resign.
"Until Monday I ask Liviu Dragnea to think and assume responsibility for this crisis. After Liviu Dragnea resigns, I will resign," said Grindeanu, at the Victoria Palace.