After PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea lashed out against President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday evening, threatening him with high treason charges and accusing him of trying to break the PSD-ALDE ruling coalition, the Liberal leaders have come out to counter these accusations.
PNL chairman Ludovic Orban has called as „whopper” Liviu Dragnea’s statement that president Klaus Iohannis would have told Liberals that he wants to negotiate with Calin Popescu Tariceanu in order to break the PSD-ALDE coalition.
„It is Dragnea’s whopper, how can he know what we have discussed? He is probably afraid that ALDE might leave the majority coalition, but if it does happen, it will because of him,” Orban said in Parliament on Monday.
Asked about a potential alliance with ALDE, the Liberal chair has strongly denied. „PNL has firmly positioned itself within a solid opposition against the ruling majority that is mocking at Romania (…) PNL is in the opposition, while ALDE has been very much alive next to PSD since 2014. Whoever is standing by PSD is no friend of PNL,” Orban stated.
Liviu Dragnea had accused on TV Sunday evening that the head of state would have told the Liberals he would run PNL, and ordered Liberals to take care of other parties while he will personally manage the negotiations with ALDE.
„He called them at the Cotroceni Palace. He told them he will run PNL, not Orban. He ordered them to lure other parties while telling them: <leave ALDE to me, I will negotiate with them to get out of the coalition>,” Dragnea said, adding he knows that from someone who attended the meeting.
Turcan: The President is being urged by a convicted to stop talking!
On the other hand, PNL vice-president Raluca Turcan, has retorted to Dragnea’s threat on the high treason against Iohannis, saying that Dragnea thinks he can blackmail the President by using the same methods that he is applying to control its party.
„Convicted Liviu Dragnea imagines that, by using the same methods to control its party, can blackmail Romania’s President! President Klaus Iohannis’ presence and especially his speech during the National Council of PNL have scared the PSD leaders so much that they are prepared to do anything to prevent the most legitimate voice of the country from talking about the chaos of the PSD-ALDE ruling. Threatened with a document accusing him of high treason, the President is practically being urged by a convicted to stop talking! Liviu Dragnea finds it hard to understand that people in this country stick to their principles in front of intimidation actions! To the dismay of PSD and of the convict at its helm!,” Turcan posted on Facebook.