The Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, provided details on Thursday evening about the government meeting in which the measures to manage the floods that recently affected several regions of the country were discussed, but also about the alleged tensions at the level of the PSD-PNL coalition.
PHOTO Inquam Photos/ Octav Ganea
Regarding the flood situation, Ciolacu emphasized the exemplary mobilization of local and central authorities. The Prime Minister recalled that he changed his schedule to participate in the actions on the ground, stating that the authorities intervened quickly to support the affected communities.
“I had a party meeting scheduled for the weekend and I changed my entire schedule to go to Galați and I did well. There is an exemplary mobilization at this moment, over 1,300 firefighters, gendarmes, soldiers. He intervened with machines. What I liked very much, the president of the County Council made a call to all the mayors, because every mayor’s office has a machine, and they all went to help those affected. So we can really be in solidarity”said the prime minister during the show “Coulisele Statului Paralel” moderated by Anca Alexandrescu, broadcast on Realitatea TV.
Regarding the criticisms regarding the lack of prevention, the prime minister explained that the authorities took measures through RO-Alert and highlighted the fact that additional measures are to be implemented to protect citizens in case of extreme weather phenomena.
“This time today I made a command with Mr. Arafat, with the Minister of the Environment, with the director of Romanian Waters and we took some decisions so that, where we anticipate that such phenomena will happen, the announcement is also made from house to house, together with local authorities“, added Ciolacu.
The chain of love is still not broken
In addition to the issue of floods, the discussion also focused on the dynamics within the governing coalition. In the face of speculations regarding the tensions between the PSD and the PNL and the possibility of a “chills” of relations between parties, Ciolacu stated that his priority remains stable and efficient governance.
“My priority is good governance. I believe that Romania still needs, even if we are in a period of electoral campaign, stability and governmental coherence. Today I had several meetings and was accompanied by ministers from both parties. I think we can do more and that we must get out of this logic of perpetual political conflict“, emphasized the prime minister.
Ciolacu also addressed the topic of electoral strategies, stating that, although PSD and PNL will run on separate lists in the upcoming elections, the governing coalition must carry out its mandate to the end.
He dismissed speculation that there was only a front row between the ruling parties, noting that both parties must focus on the real needs of the citizens.
“Good people, we have to carry this government to the end, until December 21, when the new parliament is established. At that point, this governing coalition reaches its end in this term“, stated Ciolacu, adding that, in his opinion, the future government will also be PSD-PNL, considering that none of the parties will get 51% of the votes.
Finally, the prime minister emphasized that Romania is going through one of the most difficult periods in the last 30 years, and governmental stability is essential to effectively respond to the challenges.
“Romanians have other expectations. We have the biggest challenges in the last 30 years after the revolution”, concluded Marcel Ciolacu, emphasizing the importance of continuity in governance and avoiding frequent changes in executive leadership.
