President Iohannis’ consultations with the National Liberal Party lasted about ten minutes, with Liberal interim chairwoman Raluca Turcan slamming the SocDems proposal for the PM position, stating it reveals Liviu Dragnea’s “obsession for control”.
“It’s a proposal that shows Mr. Liviu Dragnea’s control obsession”, Turcan commented, adding that the majority coalition’s option reminds of some practices from Adrian Nastase’s mandate.
The Liberal interim leader argued that when Romanians opted for PSD they didn’t vote for Dragnea’s goddaughter to be the head of the Government.
In her view, a premier with “a politically shaped profile” would have been more suitable, not “some family move”, particularly that PSD has enough human resource.
Turcan also said that PNL would stay in the opposition, as the parliamentary arithmetic shows that Romania will have a PSD-ALDE ruling coalition.
“Under these circumstances, PNL will stay in opposition. We start from the assumption that the hidden aim of the PSD-ALDE ruling coalition is not to observe the law and to slow down anti-corruption fight,” Turcan stressed, also slamming the anti-Western speech of some PSD-ALDE leaders, yet without naming anyone.
Nicusor Dan, president of the Save Romania Union (USR) retorted that the PSD’s nomination for the PM seat is “unacceptable” as Sevil Shhaideh is part of ‘Mazăre-Nicușor Constantinescu clan’ (editor note: Radu Mazare, former PSD mayor of Constanta, and Nicusor Constantinescu-former head of the Constanta County Council, both sentenced in sounding corruption cases) and that she has not “the needed magnitude” to exert this position.
The USR chairman also warned that Liviu Dragnea plans to amend the law that banned him from being prime minister.
“Liviu Dragnea practically heralded that he would amend the law and become premier in several months. This means that the law is being amended to a person’s benefit, according to the PSD style. Liviu Dragnea nominated a person which lacks the needed magnitude for the PM position. The only standard he used was that person is loyal to him, a person who doesn’t risk to take up the party, which is unacceptable. Sevil Shhaideh is a persons from Mazăre-Nicușor Constantinescu clan, who has come to the Development Ministry together with PSD. I met her personally, she endorsed the mutilation of the urbanism law in order to allow speculative real estate investments,” Nicuso Dan stated.
He added that USR will undoubtedly veto this Government, a stance also communicated to President Iohannis.
In his turn, former president Traian Basescu, currently senator, said he doesn’t know Sevil Shhaideh, also informing that his party, People Movement Party (PMP) will also stay in opposition.
“It’s not important for us who has been designated, we are in opposition. Anyway, we will veto the Government in Parliament. I don’t know the lady too well, I have just heard few things, heard she has been minister of Regional development after Dragnea. It’s all I know about her. My conclusion: I don’t know the lady, if I meet her I won’t know who she is,” Traian Basescu commented.