Transport Minister will resign, to run in elections on PNL lists – sources say

Petru Sorin Buse reportedly will resign as Minister of Transport and would join the National Liberal Party, according to Antena 3 TV sources. Buşe is the first technocrat minister to resign from the executive in order to join politics.

Antena 3 claims Buşe would run for PNL in Bihor County. Petru Sorin Buse will open the PNL list for the Chamber of Deputies in Bihor County (western Romania). Buşe allegedly will leave the cabinet led by Dacian Cioloş next week and he would not be the only one leaving. State secretary with the Ministry of Transport Ionut Moşteanu reportedly will also leave the executive to join politics, in his case the Save Romania Union (USR) party.

“A group of state secretaries and advisors to the Prime Minister will join next week the USR. Decisions are expected from Dragos (Pâslaru, Minister of Labour) and from Ghinea (Cristian Minister of European Funds),” government sources said for Mediafax.

So far only the State Secretary with the Ministry of Economy, Manuel Costescu, has resigned from the government to run for Diaspora on USR lists.

These changes were expected by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who has told his ministers that if they want to enter politics, they are free to do so.

PM Dacian Ciolos said, during an interview to the public television on September 1, that he maintains his decision not to join any political party and not to run in the parliamentary elections, adding that he is encouraging the ministers of his Cabinet to do it in order to carry on further the projects started by this Government.

“(…) I encouraged them to go in for politics if they want to, but when they announce their candidatures they should step back and will go on electoral campaign. As for me, I will not change my opinion,” the premier pointed out.