Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea announced on Tuesday that the PSD and ALDE delegations will jointly take part in consultations at Cotroceni, given the fact that the Presidency informed that President Klaus Iohannis accepted the two political parties’ request to do so, a request they had presented him with in a joint letter after signing a collaboration protocol on Monday.
Dragnea also pointed out that the person he will nominate for the office of Prime Minister will be a long-time member of the Social Democratic party.
“I want to inform you that I have received the answer form Romania’s President regarding our request to participate alongside the ALDE to the consultations which will be held at the Cotroceni. The President agreed that we come together tomorrow, at 11:00 hrs in order to make our proposal for the Prime Minister office,” Dragnea stated at the meeting of the Social-Democrat parliamentary groups.
Thus, the PSD-ALDE delegation will take part in consultations on Wednesday, at 11 a.m., at the Cotroceni Palace. The Head of State had initially invited PSD on Wednesday and ALDE on Thursday.
Asked, before the first group meeting of PSD’s new MPs, whether the nomination he will make for the Premier’s office will consider the party membership criterion, Liviu Dragnea answered: “Yes, categorically.” The PSD President also stated that the future Premier’s party membership card will not be one “acquired just the day before.”
“If President accepts proposal, Government will be formed by PSD and ALDE, not by press”
Apart from those already rumoured to be potential nominees for the Premier’s office, a new name appeared on Tuesday, namely that of BNR First Deputy Governor Florin Georgescu.
The PSD President however refused to comment on the press rumours: “I’ve seen very many Governments, of course they differ on each television station. The candidate for the Prime Minister’s office will be nominated by PSD and, if the President accepts our nomination, the Government will be formed by PSD and ALDE, not by the press,” Dragnea said.
According to him, the future Government could be revealed before Christmas, and the confirmation vote in Parliament would have to be given next week. “We can confirm the Government next week, so that the budget would be approved in Parliament on January 12-15. It’s very important for the budget to be approved around January 15,” Liviu Dragnea pointed out.
Asked whether the name of PSD’s nominee for the PM’s office will be validated through a vote cast by the party’s Executive Committee, the PSD President said: “I will ask my colleagues for a mandate tomorrow.”
Lower Chamber Speaker Florin Iordache is the one who talked about the convening of an Executive Committee on Wednesday morning, before the party’s delegation takes part in political consultations on forming the new Government, consultations which ALDE and PSD will jointly take part in after the Presidency agreed to them doing so.
“The name that the [party] president will take [to the consultations] will definitely be discussed within that Executive Committee and I believe that, at this moment, Liviu Dragnea is the only one who knows the name of the Premier we will nominate,” Iordache said.
In respect to the upcoming period, the PSD leader asked the parliamentary of the party to not go on vacation, because if the Prime Minister will be designated and the Government installed, they will have to participate to the completion of the budget for the next year.
“Don’t sign on to any vacation because I hope that, very soon, the President will accept our proposal for the Prime Minister office, will designate [the PM], so that we can install the Government next week in order to have a budget until, at the latest 15 January, around that date. From our point of view, the budget is done, after the Government is installed there are a couple of days left to carry out discussions with each minister, in order to make the budget for each ministry. In these conditions, until 15 January, you have to be available. And it would have been badly to start Parliament with a vacation. I believe you are not that tired after the election campaign and I believe that what I have said to all Romanians in the last two weeks must be completed. The budget is, maybe the most important law,” Liviu Dragnea argued.
He also added that many important laws will follow, laws which have to be adopted in the calendar that he has presented in the campaign and which Romanians voted for.
“And for that I want you to be present. I want that together, both deputies and senators, to achieve what it’s normal to achieve, what it’s normal in a democracy- Parliament to be a respected institution and Parliament, and MPs will be respected by Romanians when they will see that they (Parliament and MPs -e.n.) are working for the people. When they see that good things result from what is happening in Parliament. I will conclude with a request from the [PSD] congress: take each word of mine seriously and we will be very good friends,” the PSD Chairman conveyed to the Social-Democrat senators and deputies.
Dobrovolschi: President Iohannis agrees to receive PSD and ALDE together at consultations
President Klaus Iohannis agrees to receive the Social Democratic Party (PSD) together with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) for consultations on Wednesday, at Victoria Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Madalina Dobrovolschi announced.
“The president received a letter sent by PSD and ALDE and agreed to receive them for consultations together, tomorrow, at 11:00,” Madalina Dobrovolschi told on Tuesday.
On Monday she had announced that President Klaus Iohannis had established the schedule for consultations on forming the Government and that on Wednesday the Head of State was to consult with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and on Thursday with representatives of ALDE, People’s Movement Party (PMP) and the parliamentary representatives of ethnic minorities.
The schedule of consultations with parties and parliamentary groups was set up in relation to the number of parliamentary seats.
ALDE Co-President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and PSD President Liviu Dragnea announced on Monday that they will participate together in the consultations.
“We will officially notify the President (…) that this coalition has been constituted. We will also send the text of the Protocol and will inform him that we are going together and will be there on Wednesday at 11:00, when PSD is invited,” Dragnea said.
The PSD-ALDE protocol provides that the two parties will put together a joint governance platform and a sole candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
“Draft protocol on parliamentary cooperation with UDMR almost finalized”
Social Democratic Party (PSD) President Liviu Dragnea said on Tuesday that the draft protocol on parliamentary cooperation with the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) is almost finalized and the date when it will be sealed is now to be established.
“We met on Monday with our colleagues from UDMR and, of course, from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE). We had a very good discussion, practically the draft parliamentary cooperation protocol is almost finalized, and today or Wednesday morning at the latest we’ll have it nailed down and we’ll decide when to sign it,” Dragnea said in Parliament.
UDMR President Kelemen Hunor said on Monday that he had a first discussion with PSD and ALDE representatives, but they did not reach a final conclusion, and that a potential cooperation would be limited to Parliament.
Liviu Dragnea tells Lia Vasilescu: PSD’s local elected officials who won seats in Parliament will keep them
PSD President Liviu Dragnea informed Craiova Mayor Lia Vasilescu on Tuesday, in a statement for journalists, that PSD’s local elected officials who ran in the parliamentary elections and won seats in the Lower Chamber or the Senate can choose to keep them.
Asked whether PSD’s local elected officials who won seats in Parliament will resign from their current positions, Dragnea answered affirmatively.
“Yes, they didn’t run to pull the party list forward. Since they electioneered, they talked with people, they told them to trust them, they will remain here in Parliament,” Dragnea pointed out.
Craiova Mayor Lia Vasilescu took possession of her Lower Chamber mandate on Tuesday, pointing out she is yet to decide whether she will resign from the Craiova City Hall and adding that she will take a decision in observance of the legal deadline but also after she talks with PSD President Liviu Dragnea.
“I haven’t decided yet. I have 15 days to declare my incompatibility, then another 30 days in which I can choose. I haven’t taken any decision for the time being, but I’ve went through all formalities,” Vasilescu said when asked whether she will give up her current position in favour of her Lower Chamber membership.