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PNL approves negotiating mandate flexibility with democratic forces in Parliament, negotiating team
The National Political Bureau (BPN) of the National Liberal Party (PNL) approved on Tuesday the flexibility of the negotiating mandate with the democratic forces in parliament, as well as the negotiating team.
"In the meeting of the PNL's BPN, the proposal to make the negotiating mandate more flexible with the democratic forces of the Romanian Parliament and the negotiating team was approved. The negotiating team is led by the party president and includes the four first vice-presidents and the secretary-general. There were two abstentions. (...) The mandate is very clear, to negotiate with the democratic forces in the Romanian Parliament, with the USR [Save Romania Union] and with those from PSD [the Social Democratic Party]. Now, I know that those from USR, some colleagues have said that there are problems, with PSD, we also have criminal complaints against the leader of the party and so on. There are problems everywhere, the important thing for the Romanians to know is that we are ready to solve this crisis. The PNL also takes a step forward, albeit the other parties have not made anything more flexible, they have remained stuck in the opposition they have always put up," PNL leader Florin Citu said in Parliament, after the meeting of the PNL's BPN.
The negotiating team includes PNL chairman Florin Citu, the general secretary of the party, Dan Vilceanu, and the four first vice-presidents: Iulian Dumitrescu, Rares Bogdan, Lucian Bode and Gheorghe Flutur.
He stressed that they will go to negotiations with the proposal that the prime minister should be from the National Liberal Party.
"Next we will discuss further, depending on the negotiations. The PNL does not shy away, it goes to these negotiations and it clearly says that we want to make this government around the PNL, with the Liberal prime minister and we have the decision of the PNL that has not been modified. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Romania and we will discuss this as well," he added.
"We will go to these negotiations with strategy for each one, but one thing remains certain: the prime minister belongs to the PNL. In both variants we go with the prime minister of PNL," he said.
Asked if he leans towards USR or PSD, he said: "I am interested in having a Government as soon as possible and we will go to these negotiations to form a majority as soon as possible."
"I'm not negotiating through the media with those form USR. We're going to go tomorrow to the discussions with the USR members and then see what elements we have on the table. Through the media, it makes no sense to discuss," Florin Citu said.
Also asked if PSD is different now from the time when it was led by Liviu Dragnea, he replied: "I am telling you what we do and what we do not abdicate from. Eventually, it is important at this moment to have a government, and what is up to us, to the PNL, is to make sure that the Romanians will have the same rights and freedoms and what we said in the electoral campaign, we will keep our word."
He added that the Liberals would not deviate from the goals already set.
"What I can tell the Romanians is that we will not modify anything that we have always supported, a Liberal government. I made sure that the reforms were included in the PNRR [National Recovery and Resilience Programme], these reforms will be carried out as they are included in the PNRR, then, any variant and anyone who will try to change a iota in the PNRR would mean that we will not take that money. So reforms, pensions, salaries, public administration, they're all included in the PNRR. Next, I assure the Romanians that any government we will shape, we will not deviate from our objectives of having a modern, Liberal Romania with a European path. (...) Today, the laws of justice are in the Parliament of Romania, they have passed the Government. You know very well that they were adopted in the Government and are in Parliament. The position of the PNL remains the same," the Liberal leader stressed.
What does the political configuration look like in Parliament:
PSD - 157 mandates
PNL - 119 seats (after the departure of PNL deputies and senators - 15 parliamentarians - supporters of Ludovic Orban)
USR - 80 mandates
AUR - 43 mandates
UDMR - 29 mandates
Minorities 18 seats
Unaffiliated - 20 terms
234 votes are needed to invest a government. If the PNL-USR-UDMR-Minorities Coalition were rebuilt in the current parliamentary configuration - a simple calculation would have 246 votes together. In this equation the problem is with Minorities. Specifically, seven of the 18 MPs from the Minorities refuse to vote to restore the PNL-USR-UDMR Coalition. Why? In the history of the Minorities group, there has always been a collaboration with PSD, more precisely 7 parliamentarians have always voted with PSD. The majority would be extremely fragile and insecure 239 votes out of 234 required, but a PNL-PSD-UDMR Government would have 305 votes.