Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan makes statements at a moment of maximum tension on the political scene, after the fall of the Government following the censure motion supported by PSD and AUR.
Message for Cătălin Predoiu
Asked if he has any complaints against the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, after the censure motion, Ilie Bolojan said that relations within the Government were good.
“We had a good collaboration in the Government. In the party, everyone expressed their point of view, and the PNL made the decision to stop collaborating with the PSD and enter the opposition”, he specified.
Bolojan added that any internal differences must be discussed in the party, not in the public space. “If I have something to say to my colleagues, I say it privately,” the liberal leader pointed out.
Call for PNL reform
Ilie Bolojan stated that the National Liberal Party needs a deep reform to regain its credibility.
“PNL must modernize and become a respected party. It is not normal that when you are in government you have 15%”, he said.
Bolojan, asked if he would return to head the Government: “I will not run away from responsibility”
Asked if he would accept to return to the head of the Government, Ilie Bolojan stated that he would not avoid responsibility, but emphasized that the real problem is not the name of the future head of the Executive, but the way in which Romania is governed.
“On the assumption that it will come to this, just like last summer, I will not run away from responsibility. But that is not the problem, but the governing philosophy.” said the Liberal leader.
Bolojan spoke about the deep differences between the parties in terms of administrative culture and the way public institutions are run.
“There are different worlds that I thought I could bring into an area of balance. When the disease is pesedism, when the institution is run as a personal patrimony… It’s not just a disease in PSD. These gripes are everywhere. PSD, whether we like it or not, is the embodiment of this disease. This thinking does not deliver performance.” he said.
“The PNL must not support a government led by the PSD, you cannot rely on the PSD.” The liberal leader blames the lack of reforms
Ilie Bolojan stated that the PNL should not support a possible government formula led by social democrats.
“The PNL must not support such a government, because you cannot rely on the PSD to do what is right for our country. But it is normal for the Romanians to see what solutions they have. They have not tried anything in these months”. the leader stated.
Asked about the possibility of forming a minority PNL government and the scenario of his return to the position of prime minister, Bolojan avoided a direct answer, but insisted on the need for a stable governing formula.
“Under conditions of stability, it is the best situation to govern and implement predictable projects at full speed,” he said.
Ilie Bolojan claimed that the current political crisis was triggered when certain interests within the PSD were affected. “We got out of this situation when the interests of the groups behind the PSD and the local barons were affected”, the Liberal leader told the quoted source.
“A toxic cocktail” that fueled the anti-system vote
Ilie Bolojan claimed that the lack of reforms and the refusal to assume political responsibility created a favorable climate for the rise of anti-system formations.
“It was a toxic cocktail that led to an anti-system vote in 2024 and 2025. When the PSD, although it had a great responsibility for what happened then, lied and ran away from responsibility, it sabotaged the reform measures,” he said.
In his opinion, a new governmental collaboration with the social democrats would send the wrong signal to the electorate.
“If we were to return to this government, we would only be validating (the mistakes of the past),” Bolojan pointed out.
PNL could support key projects from the opposition,
However, Bolojan specified that the liberals could support essential projects for Romania in the Parliament, even if they would not be part of the future Executive.
He specifically mentioned the laws necessary to meet the milestones in the PNRR, as well as the strategic projects under the SAFE program.
“These projects must be supported regardless of the PNL’s political position, because they are a responsibility towards Romania”, emphasized Ilie Bolojan.
Bolojan rules out supporting Sorin Grindeanu for the position of prime minister
Ilie Bolojan spoke about the scenario of a minority government led by Sorin Grindeanu, declaring that liberals should not support such a variant.
Asked if the liberals would support a possible minority government led by Sorin Grindeanu in Parliament, Ilie Bolojan answered simply.
“The PNL should not vote for such a prime minister”said the liberal leader.
He argued that a possible return to government alongside the PSD would mean the validation of some political practices that he considers responsible for the current crisis of trust in society.
Bolojan criticized the former governing coalition, claiming that one of the worst errors was the excessive politicization of public institutions.
“People from the political clientele ended up occupying important positions, making contracts, cementing those positions, and not to improve the services of these companies”, he said.
According to him, these practices directly contributed to the strengthening of the anti-system vote in recent years.
Warning regarding European funds
Bolojan drew attention to the fact that the prolongation of the political crisis can have direct consequences on the absorption of European funds.
He explained that public administration does not operate “on autopilot” and that the lack of a government with full powers blocks the decision-making process.
“If the Government does not work with all its might, if all the administrative machinery is not put to work during this period, which is not easy because the machinery does not operate on automatic pilot, (…) money will be lost, because the deeper this situation gets, the risk of losing European money increases”. warned Bolojan.
“PSD must come up with the solution”
Ilie Bolojan claimed that the responsibility of forming a new majority naturally falls to the PSD, considering the party’s role in the downfall of the current Executive.
“Those who demolished the government must come up with a solution. You can’t tear down a government without putting something in its place.” he said, Monday evening, live on Digi24.
The prime minister criticized the lack of a concrete option presented by the social democrats after the censure motion and said that the parties that remained in the governing area have not yet demonstrated that they can form a parliamentary majority on their own.
He refuses to reveal the president’s position
Asked if the name of the future prime minister was discussed in the talks with Nicușor Dan, Bolojan was reserved.
“Mr. President told me certain aspects, but it seems to me common sense that his perspective should be presented to him”, he declared the PNL leader.
Bolojan: Romania urgently needs a functional government
Asked about the discussion with the president, Ilie Bolojan avoided providing concrete details, but emphasized the urgency of getting out of the current political deadlock.
According to him, Romania needs a functional government to quickly manage several essential files. Among the priorities, Bolojan listed the fulfillment of the milestones assumed by the European programs, so that the country can continue to access external financing.
He also spoke about the need to ensure the flow of payments, to amend the legislation where needed and to reorganize the projects so that the works are completed by the end of August, avoiding the loss of European funds through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Another point mentioned by Bolojan is access to the credit intended to strengthen Romania’s defense capacity.
The political crisis deepens
The interim prime minister’s statements come in the context in which the political negotiations for the formation of a new Executive continue, and one of the variants circulated is a PSD minority government led by Sorin Grindeanu.
Romania is currently led by an Executive with limited powers, and consultations and analyzes are held at the Cotroceni Palace regarding the scenarios for the formation of a new government.
