Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has announced on Sunday that he is withdrawing from the internal race of the Social Democrat Party to elect the candidate for the presidential election.
“I have made up my mind. No”, Teodorovici (photo) told Antena 3 when asked if he is maintaining his bid in the PSD internal race for the presidential election.
He added he would vote on Tuesday depending on which candidates will remain.
Immediately on Monday, another candidate surveyed in the internal race for Cotroceni, secretary general Mihai Fifor, has also announced he is withdrawing from the internal race. Fifor told Digi24 that he would endorse PM Viorica Dancila. SocDem sources revealed that Mihai Fifor would have obtained a far too low score, below 5 per cent.
The ruling party’s Executive Committee is to decide by vote on Tuesday the candidate to represent PSD in the presidential ballot.
So, after Teodorovici’s withdrawal, three officially announced Social Democrats have remained in the internal race for Presidency: deputy Liviu Plesoianu and senator Serban Nicolae.
PSD chairwoman and PM Viorica Dancila has also voiced intention to run if the party asked her to.
Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea is also hinting this position. She has stated the past weekend that she would consider a candidature for Presidency as an independent, outside the party in case the Executive Committee on Tuesday does not designate her as PSD official candidate. Firea also said Viorica Dancila has no chances with a potential candidature.
“As long as the prime minister has not even reached half of the party’s score, she has not chances to be a successful PSD candidate. And she also has no chances to grow as other candidates,” Firea argued.
The Bucharest mayor also argued that an electoral alliance PSD-ALDE-Pro Romania should be set up for the presidential, but also for the local and general elections, to provide “an alternative to what is now in place at Cotroceni Palace”. She referred to this alliance as “to a sort of new USL”, to consider the best ranked candidate.
PSD Congress to validate the presidential candidate of the party is due on August 3.
On the other hand, PM Dancila has had a meeting today with the leader of PSD’s ruling partner, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who had already voiced intention to run for Presidency, and with the leader of Pro Romania, former PM Victor Ponta.
According to Ponta’s Facebook post, the meeting has concluded with no decision on a common candidate for the presidential elections or on a potential political agreement.
Dancila stated a few days ago she would like a PSD-ALDE-Pro Romania coalition to endorse the candidate for Presidency.
However, Dancila wants ALDE and Pro Romania to support a PSD candidate, although Tariceanu eyes his own candidature. As for Pro Romania, they seem to endorse Firea.
Moreover, Pro Romania chairman, Victor Ponta, has said that he cannot endorse ALDE, as long as it stays in power, in the coalition with PSD.
“I can team up with ALDE, but if they are not in the government anymore. If they get out, yes, I can talk to them to make a larger group,” Ponta told Romania TV.
As for the presidential candidate, Ponta added: “If Dancila is running, along with Tariceanu, and Corina Cretu, and Plesoianu and Firea, we are fighting for the third position. Firea will have a good score as independent, but PSD is voting for PSD. If she is not PSD candidate, she has not chances.”