President Nicușor Dan Held New Talks with Coalition Party Leaders as PSD Decides to Join the Government

President Nicușor Dan held a new meeting with the leaders of the coalition parties after PSD also decided it wants to be part of the executive. The discussions focused on the political agreement.

Following today’s meeting between the presidents of PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR, and the representatives of national minorities with President Nicușor Dan, which lasted around two hours, no final consensus was reached yet regarding the governing program or the political agreement that the four parties and the minorities’ group must sign, sources from one of the negotiating parties told HotNews.

On Sunday, the presidents of the parties negotiating the formation of the government are scheduled to meet again in an effort to reach an agreement, according to the same HotNews sources.

The parties intending to form the future government, led by designated Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, hope that ministerial hearings in Parliament, as well as the investiture vote in the joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, will take place on Monday.

On Saturday, PSD voted in a National Political Council meeting to join the government, as announced by interim party leader Sorin Grindeanu, who stated that 71.5% of the votes cast were in favor. On Sunday, another meeting will take place in which PSD is expected to vote on the team it will present in the new government, Grindeanu added.

Additionally, the USR Political Committee approved the list of ministers that will represent the party in Bolojan’s government. USR has been allocated four portfolios, and one of its ministers is expected to take one of the Deputy Prime Minister positions. USR President Dominic Fritz mentioned that President Nicușor Dan expressed interest in having a say regarding the Defense and Foreign Affairs portfolios, especially if the appointed ministers underperform.

The meeting comes after the PSD voted to enter the government. If everything goes according to plan, we will have ministerial hearings on Monday, and the swearing-in ceremony would take place on Tuesday. The political agreement would also establish the rotation of prime ministers, which Ilie Bolojan accepted. However, the name of the future PSD prime minister, who would take office in two years, will not be mentioned, according to Digi24 sources.

“The calendar that I know today is the following: probably tomorrow we will finalize the government program, where there are still a few points of divergence, and the political agreement, so that it can be assumed by the four parties plus minorities, which are part of this coalition, and on Monday we will enter into the normal procedures in Parliament. I do not know if they will be finalized on Monday. Tuesday may be the swearing-in at Cotroceni. Wednesday may also be, as far as I know on the calendar, there must be a vote on the two seats on the CCR that the Chamber and the Senate must send,” said Sorin Grindeanu, the interim chairman of PSD.

Prime Minister-designate Ilie Bolojan was at the USR Congress on Saturday, where he said that the “time for action” had come and that he would count on the teams of ministers that each party will send to the new government. He also pointed out that due to the country’s economic situation, the future government will be one of sacrifice and called on all parties to “take off their party clothes” in order to regain mutual trust.  “I looked at the slogan that your team prepared. Get ready to build. I think it’s the end – but something else had to appear. Get ready to demolish. Privileges, self-interests. Get ready to cut – unnecessary expenses. Inefficiency. Get ready to suffer alongside the Romanians. Because it will not be an easy period. And yes, get ready to build. That’s the truth. I am here in a double capacity. I am very open that the time for words is over and the time for deeds is ahead of us. And we will give each of us. The team that USR will send to the government and the team that each party sends – the measure of our strength and attachment to our country. Those who know our budgetary situation know that this government will be one of sacrifice”, said Blojan.