Iohannis: I doubt a solution will be found after the first round of negotiations. It is hard to negotiate with a party that overthrew the gov’t

While in Slovenia to attend the EU Summit on the Western Balkans, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis talked to the journalists about the recent political developments in Bucharest, namely the censure motion that dismissed the Citu Cabinet yesterday.

Iohannis said he doubts a solution will be found after the first round of negotiations with the political parties, arguing it is hard to negotiate with a party that overthrew the government. Asked if he rules out the option of dissolving the Parliament and triggering snap elections, the head of state replied he doesn’t rule out any of the constitutional steps.

Klaus Iohannis explained why he didn’t summon consultations with the parties to form a new Cabinet until next week, blaming the parties who voted the censure motion that sacked the Citu Government.

” I saw in Parliament yesterday a totally unexcused enthusiasm on overthrowing the Government. I also noticed, as you could noticed, that, after the motion had ended, the leaders and members of the parties who voted had various approaches. Some came to tell us that they probably would not attend the consultations. Yes, probably they, who toppled down a Cabinet had no idea what will happen.  Others came up with speeches as if they hadn’t been the ones who detonated the coalition. Others jumped for joy that they want to suspend the president. I don’t see what suspending the president will solve, they probably want just circus (…) We need more days for everybody to calm down”, President Iohannis stated.

He argued that he considered several days are necessary “for this enthusiasm related to the fall of the government to go off a little bit, so that we can have mature stances for otherwise things would become more and more complicated.”

“USR was part of the government, they abandoned it, and voted together with PSD and AUR to topple down the Cabinet they were part of. These are heavy-weight political actions and I don’t know if the parties would want or could get over these things. It is hard to negotiate with a partner who voted to dismiss the Cabinet”, Iohannis said.

“This is no way. A governmental crisis can be solved only through maturity and not by foul-temper. Let’s be honest with ourselves, somebody must govern the country and form the Cabinet”, the President added.

Iohannis pointed out that the incumbent government will stay in office till a solution to the current political crisis is found.

Asked if Florin Citu, the dismissed PM can still be nominated as premier, President Iohannis claimed there is no obstacle for that. “Any person endorsed by a parliamentary majority can become prime minister. There is no obstacle”.

Also questioned if the former PNL chairman Ludovic Orban is considered as a PM nomination, the head of state replied: “From what I know, the parties’ policy is done inside the parties, and not in mass media”.

On a separate note, Iohannis voiced concern about the situation of the pandemic and the price crisis, stating that “we need to find an equation to form a government”.

“I am very worried. I received the pandemic data. We have over 330 deaths (COVID-related) and almost 15,000 daily infections today, it is a catastrophe. We need a government, we need mature, not cynical approaches. And we have to find an equation through which a government is formed “, Iohannis added.

He underlined that there are funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to tackle the healthcare situation (over 2 billion euros for the healthcare system, for new hospitals, modernization of old units and more jobs), but, “in the absence of a government, things can remained unsolved”.