Exactly on the day of the validation of the candidacies for the seats eligible for the European Parliament, the PSD-PNL Coalition announced without the number one on the list, Ramona Chiriac, who suddenly withdrew. Instead, a number of PSD and PNL leaders will take the Brussels route.
Mihai Tudose now has his first chance at the European Parliament PHOTO Inquam Photos
The coalition managed, after a month since it clapped for the common list at the European Parliament, to decide on the names of those who will occupy eligible seats. But from the beginning the Coalition faced a problem: Ramona Chiriac, the independent who should have opened the list, withdrew. According to “Adevărul” information, Chiriac also wanted a more important position after the elections, more precisely as a European commissioner. And here he was met with a categorical “no”.
Asked what will happen after Chiriac's withdrawal, Lucian Bode, general secretary of the PNL, stated that they will look for a new independent person, without saying if they currently have someone on the short list. Also, when asked if he would agree with Mihai Tudose's option of opening the list, Bode pointed out that a discussion at the party level is needed before the decision.
Nicolae Ciucă, head of the PNL, stated that he and his colleagues learned the news in the meeting and they need time. “Let us see what it's all about. We are analyzing the concrete elements and will make a decision“, stated Ciucă, pointing out that the political situation should not be ridiculed by drawing lots for the name that will open the list: Mihai Tudose or Rareș Bogdan.
On the other hand, Marcel Ciolacu did not want to comment on the withdrawal of Ramona Chiriac and specified that Mihai Tudose is an option to open the list. “Regarding Mihai Tudose, there is an option to open the list, but I will decide together with Mr. Ciucă. I want the lists to be opened by representatives of the two parties. I think that the two parties have enough competent people to open this list“, said Ciolacu. According to “Adevărul” information, Ciolacu will insist in the discussions with the liberals to be Tudose and does not want an independent version at all.
Which names have been validated
The liberals were the first to decide the people for the European Parliament. In the meeting of the National Political Bureau, PNL decided that the order of the liberals will be as follows: Rareș Bogdan, Dan Motreanu, Adina Vălean, Daniel Buda, Siegfried Mureșan, Mircea Hava, Gheorghe Falcă, Virgil Popescu, Alexandru Muraru and Mara Mareș. According to “Adevărul” information, in the Coalition the seats received by the PNL are 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23. In the case of the liberals, Gheorghe Falcă, MEP and former mayor of Arad, is the last , through his position on the list, i.e. the 16th place, would get a mandate in the European Parliament.
Instead, at PSD, the order validated by the National Political Council was as follows: Mihai Tudose, Gabriela Firea, Claudiu Manda, Vasile Dîncu, Victor Negrescu, Maria Grapini, Dragoș Benea, Gheorghe Cârciu and Dan Nica, also registering a withdrawal of last moment, i.e. Titus Corlățean. Also, in the future, Ștefan Mușoiu, Roxana Mânzatu and Andi Cristea will be on the list.
Therefore, on the list for MEPs there are people from the narrow leaderships of the two parties: Rareș Bogdan (first vice-president PNL), Dan Motreanu (first vice-president PNL), Gabriela Firea (first vice-president PSD), Vasile Dîncu (president of the National Council of the PSD) and Mihai Tudose (vice president and campaign coordinator). According to the Coalition's calculations, the minimum mandates they believe they will obtain would be 17, and the maximum 20. Therefore, from the PSD, the last eligible would be Ștefan Mușoiu.
No ministers at the European Parliament
Marcel Ciolacu stood firmly on his position not to accept any minister on the list for the European Parliament, proof that neither Simona Bucura-Oprescu (Minister of Labour, PSD) nor Alina Gorghiu (Minister of Justice, PNL) is found there. “I didn't ask for a waiver. All the ministers remain in the Cabinet”, said Alina Gorghiu, before the PNL BPN meeting on Thursday, given that liberal sources stated that in the internal discussions she tried to get support to be on the list, but Nicolae Ciucă asked complying with Ciolacu's wish.
Instead, in the Coalition, the candidacies of some ministers for local public administration are accepted. One such case is Adrian Veștea, the Minister of Development, who is about to enter the race for the head of the Brașov County Council, an institution where he was also president in the last two mandates.
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Tensions in some branches
There are tensions between the leaders of some branches and those from the center on the topic of candidacies and collaboration with the PSD. In Timiș, the leaders from the center would like a joint candidacy for CJ Timiș and Timișoara City Hall, in the first competition a candidate from PSD would enter, while in the municipality there would be one from PNL. The favorites are Alfred Simonis (currently interim president of the Chamber of Deputies) at the CJ and Nicolae Robu (PNL) at the Timișoara City Hall.
Alina Nica, head of PNL Timiș, said that she does not agree with such an agreement and that she will be part of a right-wing project to run for the head of the County Council, an institution that she still leads. Nica explained that on Wednesday she went with 30 mayors and deputy mayors to ask the central leadership for support for the CJ.
Another case is the one from Prahova. The PNL Prahova organization sent a letter to Ciucă and Bode to ask for the support of Iulian Dumitrescu to run for a new term at the head of the County Council, given that he is under criminal investigation in a case for bribery and false statements , now under judicial control. Nicolae Ciucă declared that at the level of the PNL central leadership, a decision has not yet been made regarding the organization's request from Prahova.
