The leaders of Romania's National Liberal Party (PNL), which is leading the negotiations for forming a center-right coalition, approved a more "flexible" mandate of the negotiation team - including two scenarios for distributing the leading positions among the two main partners. The problem is that both of them have been previously rejected by the reformist block USR-PLUS.

(In the opening photo, USR-PLUS co-presidents Dacian Ciolos and Dan Barna talk to PNL leader Ludovic Orban at a public event organized by the Bucharest City Hall. Photo by: Inquam Photos/ Octav Ganea)

PNL would accept to maintain the nomination of finance minister Florin Citu for the prime minister position if the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban gets the top position in the Chamber of Deputies. This is the scenario that led to the deadlock in the negotiations last Sunday. USR-PLUS block said that they accept Citu, or any Liberal prime minister, as long as they get the top position in the Chamber of Deputies.

The second scenario approved by the Liberal leadership regards a new term for prime minister Ludovic Orban and the Senate president position for Florin Citu (as a consolation prize), while USR-PLUS can lead the Chamber of Deputies. However, USR-PLUS also rejected this scenario claiming that Orban is not fit for another term.

PNL’s would-be partner in the center-right ruling coalition announced its decision in a Facebook post on December 16, after Orban had asked for the coalition partners' support to get the prime minister nomination. "We believe that a new Government led by Ludovic Orban [...] does not meet the expectations of the center-right electorate that wants a new beginning and a Government with a reformist agenda," USR-PLUS stated.

The third coalition party, the Hungarian Democrat Union (UDMR), has been rather discreet in the discussions for the PM seat.

After his party lost the parliamentary elections on December 6, Orban resigned as prime minister and said he wouldn't try to get another mandate. His party decided to propose finance minister Florin Citu as prime minister. However, Ludovic Orban changed his mind after USR-PLUS refused to support him for the Chamber of Deputies speaker position. USR-PLUS wants this position for one of its members but is willing to give this position to Orban provided that its co-president, former European Commissioner and PM Dacian Ciolos, gets the prime minister nomination. However, the Liberals don’t want to give up the PM seat.

Meanwhile, president Klaus Iohannis, who was very much involved in the Liberals’ electoral campaign for the December 6 elections and in the initial negotiations for the center-right coalition, took a step back and said he would let the parties figure it out for themselves who they propose for PM.

Iohannis said on Wednesday, December 16, that he expects the parties to reach an agreement for a parliamentary majority and a prime minister candidate. "If the three members of the coalition agree and come up with a proposal, I will accept it. Whether it is Ludovic Orban or Florin Citu, or anybody else, I will accept them," said Iohannis.

"It is important to have a Government relatively quickly to manage the pandemic and the economic crisis, to have a Government that is based, preferably, on a solid majority in Parliament and move forward because there is much work to be done," he added.

However, the president also said that there's no chance to have a new Government sworn in by Christmas and asked for patience as such political negotiations take time. He pointed to other EU countries where the negotiations for forming new ruling coalitions lasted months or even years.

Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which got the highest score in the December 6 elections but not enough to form a new Government by themselves, has been commenting on the negotiations from the sidelines. “How many Romanians still have to die for Iohannis and the gang of losers to understand that they lost the elections, that the Romanians sent them home? They have been arguing for 10 days, arguing about positions, and saying nothing about solutions. Nothing about what needs to be done urgently to stop the pandemic or revive the economy. Nothing about measures to reopen schools, about reform in education or the medical system,” said PSD vice president and former PM Sorin Grindeanu.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)