Ex-PM Ponta conditions endorsement of censure motion. What did PNL retort? Ruling coalition MPs to attend plenary session, banned from voting

Negotiations are under way in Parliament for the support of the censure motion file by the Opposition parties, with Liberals searching for potential endorsers of the motion that is to be voted in the Parliament on Wednesday.

Chairman of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban has voiced his openness to negotiations if the Dancila Cabinet is toppled down by the no confidence vote, saying he is not clinging fast on any conditions and positions, referring to the fact he had been designated as the PM proposal by his party. His statement comes after former PM and SocDem leader Victor Ponta has revealed he and his Pro Romania party’s lawmakers are willing to support the motion filed by the Opposition if PNL is also willing to give up the proposal with Ludovic Orban as premier.

Asked to comment Ponta’s condition, Orban replied: „PNL will attend negotiations after the motion and it will obviously support the best ruling formula, depending to the concrete results of the negotiations. Nothing has changed. PNL is willing anytime to assume to form the government if it has the capacity to form a parliamentary majority. PNL has 20% of the Romanian Parliament, PNL is open to negotiations and will endorse the best option for the country”.

The Liberal chairman reminded that the PNL had decided that he should be designated as the candidate for the PM position. „This doesn’t mean we are clinging fast on a certain condition”, Orban added.

Former PM Victor Ponta, Pro Romania leader, has stated that he and his party would support „any effort to replace Dancila Government”, but not also the PNL’s proposal of Orban being premier. Ponta argued that this option, with Orban as PM, „is not legitimated by the voters”, and they will not endorse it.

Ponta said they would discuss including with PSD and ALDE, the parties forming the ruling coalition, to convince them that „a competent government should lead Romania”. Ponta argued that, besides political disputes, „the issue is that the crisis’ storm for Romania is getting closer”.

Ponta’s party is not the only that Liberals aim to co-opt to endorse the censure motion. Another party targeted by Orban is UDMR, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, whose position however is still uncertain, the more they are are currently endorsing the ruling coalition in Parliament, based on a sealed agreement.

Although Ludovic Orban used to recently state in Suceava that he is waiting for UDMR to position itself after the negotiations they had for the motion, UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor claimed there had been no negotiations actually.

Kelemen Hunor argued that he had indeed met Ludovic Orban for a coffee on May 20, but they had not negotiated anything. Moreover, the Magyar leader says he asked Orban some clear questions related to the political future but received no answers.

PNL, URS and PMP have announced they will vote in favour of the motion, but they still need some 80 votes to succeed.

On the other hand, the ruling coalition PSD-ALDE leaders have assured that there are no tensions inside the two parties regarding the upcoming no confidence vote. PSD’s Dragnea said the decision is that the ruling power’s lawmakers should attend the plenary session which is debating the motion, but they would not cast their votes.

“We’ll be present as long as it takes to provide the session’s quorum, but we shall not vote”, Dragnea stated.

Asked if this action has been taken for fear there might be traitors in the ruling party, considering there have bee some dissident voices lately, the SocDem chairman replied: “We are not talking about traitors. The logic is another one: they have to ensure votes, if they initiated this censure motion in the first place. Why should we get involved in this action of the Opposition?”