Bucharest general mayor, Gabriela Firea, has stated on Monday before the Social Democrat Party’s Executive Committee that she is considering running for vice-president, yet warning that she will resign from all political positions if the Capital’s projects are not solved.
“I will resign from all political positions and I will remain a simple party member (…) If the Capital’s serious issues are not solved in a reasonable time, I will resign from all political positions. I’ve established with PM Dancila a timetable for all sensitive issues. I am not part of any camps, neither pro nor against Dragnea. The chairman himself (Liviu Dragnea) doesn’t agree these camps and the interest zones that have emerged in the party. If I have the support of the PSD Bucharest branch and of the women’s organization, I will run for a vice-president position,” Firea said on Monday before the PSD meeting.
She has accused the former Government that it hadn’t helped the City Hall, claiming there are people in the ministries who are throwing obstacles in the city hall’s way.
“I would like to know what are the reasons to throw obstacles at the mayor’s way. There are people who work in the ministries, who represent very important financial interests. A minister cannot say that he cannot do something for the directors don’t allow him, directors have financial, political interests. If a minister is subdued by directors, is not a good ministers,” the Bucharest mayor said.
Turmoil in the party, political suicide
At the same time, Gabriela Firea warned over the turmoil in the PSD, saying it represents “a political suicide”.
“There will be elections for the vice-president and the executive president positions (at the PSD Congress on March 10). There have been voices saying there were need for these elections, but, on the other hand, president Dragnea explained it would be no purges or to get rid of inconvenient people, but it will be a change of structure in the National Standing Bureau. I dismiss allegations that I would be part of a camp that wants to destabilize the party and overthrow Dragnea. I consider it’s political suicide that there is turmoil that has no clear source in PSD. Of course there are discontents, I have some. But to say a putsch is organized is too much,” Firea concluded.
The PSD Congress is convened for March 10, and is expected to amend the party’s statute and to change the structure of the Standing Bureau. Condrin Stefanescu, Gabriela Firea and Marian Oprisan are among those to run for a vice-president position.
Dragnea reacts, announces dismissals among secretaries of state
PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea reacted on Firea’s allegations. “I talked to Mrs. Firea, she sent me some messages after she had made the statements in the media. Maybe obstacles were thrown at her way? Changes among secretaries of state are to follow. What Mrs. Firea said is true. I talked to her, to the district mayors, with Mrs. PM, a collaboration plan between the Government and the Bucharest City Hall has been finally sealed, (…) to implement the commitments that me and Mrs. Firea had pledged in the electoral campaign,” Dragnea stated.
The SocDem chair argued that Bucharest needs “much better living conditions on public administration”.
“Bucharest is the biggest city in Romania, almost all Romanians are coming or passing through Bucharest, they need the institutions in Bucharest. Besides that, the Capital needs much better living conditions in terms of public administration,” he said.