The PNL spokesperson, Ionuţ Stroe, said on Monday that the PNL sends whichever delegation it wants to the coalition talks and that it is the decision of each party to determine which delegation represents its interests and point of view in the relationship with the other party. Stroe’s statement comes in response to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s announcement that he will no longer allow coalition meetings with the party’s first vice-presidents, following the exchange of remarks with Rareş Bogdan.
Ionuţ Stroe stated after Monday’s meeting of the PNL leadership that the subject related to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s statement that the first vice-presidents of the PNL should no longer participate in coalition meetings was not discussed in the meeting of the National Political Bureau of the PNL.
“There (in the coalition meeting – no), Mr. Ciolacu does not meet with Mr. Rareş Bogdan, the two parties meet, the National Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. It is the decision of each party which is the delegation that represents the interests and point of view of the parties in the relationship with the other, so we have not discussed this as well, believe us that we will not do it from now on. PNL sends to the area of negotiations, to the area of coalition discussions, the delegation it wants there”, said Ionuț Stroe, according to News.ro.
“For the moment, we are obliged to ensure the functionality of this government”
The PNL spokesperson also said, commenting on the chances of the coalition after the 2024 election year, that for the moment they are obliged to ensure the functionality of this government, and Romanians are not interested in whether the leaders of the coalition are compatible, but whether pensions will increase.
“For the moment, we are obliged to ensure the functionality of this government, we are firmly committed to this endeavor, we want to complete it in very good conditions. The elections next fall will certainly give us another political picture, we can talk about the prospects of this government after these elections are over. At the moment, our focus is on ensuring the functionality of the coalition and the government”, said Ionuţ Stroe, about the chances of the current coalition extending beyond next year’s elections.
When asked if the PNL will respond to the attacks coming from the PSD, Stroe replied that “much more important than disputes of a certain personal nature are the aspects of governance”.
“I don’t think the Romanians are very interested in whether the coalition leaders or part of them are compatible, they are not interested in adversarial discussions, but rather if we will increase pensions and by how much per year, if we have enough money to ensure that commitment made in against the teachers for salaries, if we keep the fiscal measures or the level of taxation at the same level, something assumed as clear and transparent as possible. These are the issues that interest the citizens rather than the small disputes that are somehow inevitable somewhere. The coalition is based on negotiation, even when things seem non-negotiable there must be a middle way. We took on this governance together, the common denominator is the governance program,” said Stroe.
He specified that, obviously, as we approach the electoral cycle, “perhaps the parties are trying to enhance certain messages or keep certain priorities related to a better representation of their own electorate in this relationship”.
“Obviously we will reach a common denominator and we must ensure the functioning of this government through compromise, the country must be governed before any political interest of PNL or PSD”, added Stroe.
Publisher : BP
