There was no deal sealed after the meeting between PM-designate Dacian Cioloş and PNL, UDMR and national minorities leaders to secure endorsement for a Cabinet led by Ciolos.
Dacian Cioloș left the meeting after about an hour, announcing that “no decision has been taken”, without giving too many details.
“No decision has been taken, I go to the USR HQs, we’ll have a meeting of the National Bureau”, Ciolos told journalists.
As for the dismissed PM Florin Citu, PNL chairman, he said he had accepted the meeting out of respect for the Romanians and for the mandate given by President Iohannis.
“There was no conclusion today. I got Mr. Ciolos’ mandate, we’ll have more talks. He wants to restore the coalition. We want Romania out of the crisis, but the solution is in the court of those who threw Romania in crisis. There was no discussion about ministries, we haven’t got so far. We thought Ciolos had a mandate behind, a majority when USR proposed him as PM. I get back to that tested majority, PSD-AUR-USR. Ciolos has the duty to find a majority. It was not us who prompted the crisis”, Citu stated
PM-designate Dacian Cioloş met PNL and UDMR leaders today for a first talk on forming a parliamentary majority. According to the PNL secretary general, Dan Vilceanu, the meeting took place at the National Liberal Party’s HQs at 17:00hrs.
“It is not our intention to negotiate a majority with PSD and AUR, we said it very clearly. We don’t have political compatibilities with them. We are assuming some governance rules here that are not compatible to the way PSD and AUR see things. Our intention is to talk to the coalition partners and restore this majority. We’ll have a first talk and see how they relate to this, beyond public statement,” Ciolos said.
He added that his target is to provide a government as soon as possible, to manage the crisis.
According to the Constitution, the PM designate has 10 days to come before the Parliament to ask for a confidence vote on this ruling programme and on his list of ministers.
Ciolos also stated that if he doesn’t succeed in restoring the coalition with PNL and UDMR, then there are two more options: either to go in Parliament with a minority one-coloured Cabinet, or to give up the mandate granted by President Iohannis.
UDMR chairman, Kelemen Hunor, said that restoring the ruling coalition “is possible only if all those attending the negotiations in December last year will be part of it, meaning PNL, UDMR and the national minorities”.
“On Wednesday we’ll take part in the meeting where Dacian Ciolos invited PNL, UDMR and the group of national minorities. We’ll listen carefully the USR chair’s proposal: ruling programme, the proposed strategy to meet the targets assumed in the ruling programme, but also the composition of the new Cabinet and after that we’ll decide about endorsing the new government.
Restoring the ruling coalition is possible only if all those attending the negotiations in December last year will be part of it, meaning PNL, UDMR and the national minorities”, Kelemen Hunor posted on Facebook last evening.
As for the Liberals, they had an online meeting of the National Standing Bureau last evening. PNL secretary general Dan Vilceanu stated that PNL chairman Florin Citu has no mandate from the party for the Wednesday meeting.
“The party chairman will definitely go (…) There is no specific mandate (…) I don’t know what Florin Citu will tell Dacian Ciolos at the meeting. There will be a discussion at the PNL’s HQs. Mr. Ciolos was invited to meet with us tomorrow, for he kept on calling Florin Citu,” Vîlceanu told Digi 24. He added there are other possible meetings as well, yet underling that Dacian Ciolos must come up with a solution, otherwise “it means he was just irresponsible and all that he does is to drag out this period of crisis for nothing.”
Barna: USR will come up with its own Cabinet if its proposals are rejected
USR vice-president, Dan Barna, revealed that USR will advance its own Cabinet in case of the discussions on Wednesday fail and no negotiations are shaped for a future collaboration with PNL and UDMR.
“It also depends what will happen at the chairmen’s meeting Wednesday, if the negotiations are opening for real, we might have a conclusion early next week, probably on Tuesday. If the participants at the meeting say we don’t want to discuss, things might not be solved so quickly“, Barna said. Asked if USR will proceed with drafting a list of its own Cabinet, he replied: “Definitely, it is possible, Friday or next Monday, at the latest”.