Negotiations on a new government
President Klaus Iohannis will hold consultations with representatives of the political parties that entered Parliament, in order to designate a prime minister.
Roxana Vasile, 11.12.2020, 13:50
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis invited representatives of the political parties that entered Parliament following the general elections of December 6, to consultations. These parties are the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the USR-PLUS Alliance, the Alliance for Romanians’ Union (AUR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). The representatives of national minorities, other than the Hungarian one, have also been invited to consultations. The purpose of the meeting is to designate a prime minister that should form the new cabinet.
PSD says it is entitled to form the new government because it won most votes in the recent elections – almost 30%. Its proposal for head of a minority or national union government is professor and physician Alexandru Rafila, Romania’s representative at the Wold Health Organisation. Talking about this, PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu said: ”We come before Romanians with a decent proposal, a person known at home and abroad, Mr. Rafila. I believe it is the case for Romania’s President, PNL and USR to admit they have been defeated in the electionn.”
Meanwhile, PNL, the USR-PLUS Alliance and UDMR took part in an informal meeting with President Iohannis. On Saturday they will initiate official negotiations to form a parliamentary majority and a Government to be endorsed before Christmas, after the new Parliament is sworn in. The Liberal leader, Ludovic Orban, has said: ”We will negotiate on several levels, the governing programme, the political team that will negotiate political matters and the Government makeup. There will also be negotiations at the level of Parliament, regarding the parliamentary commissions, the membership of political bureaus, and a joint strategy of imposing this majority.”
The USR-PLUS alliance says it wants a fair collaboration, that takes into account the results each party got in the elections, that is 25% PNL, 15% USR-PLUS, and 6% UDMR. Moreover, the Alliance gives assurances that it will debate as long as it is necessary to make sure that the reformist mandate received from its voters will significantly mirror in the programme and structure of the Government and Parliament. As for the UDMR, it believes the Liberals’ proposal for PM, in the person of Finance Minister Florin Citu, is a pleasant surprise and has reminded it wants a political prime minister and not a technocratic or military one. (Translated by Elena Enache)
