The president of the PNL, Nicolae Ciucă, announced while he was in Washington, that he will run for the presidency of Romania, but that he must first obtain the party’s approval. He stated that a joint PNL-PSD project for the presidential elections no longer works, arguing that “at this moment” a project regarding a joint candidate of PNL and PSD “can no longer take place”.
The Liberal Party’s chairman also said that he will go to the party branches to discuss his candidacy. “Do you want me to give you some news? (…) At the moment, of course, I should have a decision of the party, I should have a decision in the National Council, but at the moment – if you still came all the way to Washington and we are here, in this maelstrom of everything that is happening in the United States and in Romania – I will run because I am the president of the National Liberal Party, but, first of all, I have to get the approval of the party and therefore, in the next period, so that we don’t leave room for discussions, I will go to all the PNL branches to earn the trust and vote of the National Liberal Party”, said Nicole Ciucă, in an interview granted to Antena 3.
At the beginning of this month, the PSD-PNL governing coalition decided the electoral calendar for the presidential and parliamentary elections, the former to be held on November 24 and December 8 respectively, and the legislative elections on December 1.
PSD is expected to announced their presidential candidate at the party’s Congress on August 24.
Ciolacu, ironic about Ciuca’s candidature announcement
PSD chairman Marcel Ciolacu, Ciuca’s ruling partner, made several sarcastic remarks after the Liberal chair announced from Washington his intention to run for president.
Asked when he is going to make his own announcement to run for President, Ciolacu replied:
“Certainly not when I go to Washington. When I first saw it I thought he signed up for the Democratic convention this year to replace President Biden. If this announcement is needed, I will definitely make it in Romania”.
The PSD leader was also asked, on Tuesday, about the possibility of President Klaus Iohannis being prime minister after the autumn elections and he said: “I have no problems, maybe, but he has to win the elections”.
Questioned about a possible tandem Nicolae Ciucă, president – Klaus Iohannis, prime minister, Ciolacu said: “You wouldn’t want to ask them. I can hardly resist, I can hardly resist (…) Yes, yes, imagining the performance”.