Traian Basescu, last -minute call for Elena Lasconi and Nicuşor Dan: “Responsibility for the country obliges you”

Former President Traian Basescu launched a public appeal to USR president Elena Lasconi and the independent candidate Nicușor Dan, asking them to meet urgently to establish a unique candidate for May 4.

“The electorate is quickly heading to political options that will become irreversible in a few days. Responsibility for the country forces you to meet and set a single candidate. I know it is difficult, but you must do it,” Basescu said, in a message published on Facebook, warning that Romania will remain under the control of the PSD.

The former head of the state claims that, in the absence of a common strategy of the right, the country risks being “maintained in the USL's hands and moguls that have economic and media power and which through their presidential candidates want to fully control justice.”

Basescu also reminded a quote of the “mogul” Dan Voiculescu during the political crisis of 2012, to which the former president refers to be “attempted pits”: “We do not have the power until we have justice”, suggesting that the real stake is control over the justice system.

The call of the former president comes two weeks before the first round of the presidential elections, in the context of fragmenting the right -wing options, after USR withdrew the political support of Elena Lasconi and decided to support Nicușor Dan in the presidential race.

Conflict open between USR and Elena Lasconi

On the ballot Elena Lasconi will appear as the USR candidate because the ballots have already been printed, and the deadline for the withdrawal of the candidates was March 19.

The Central Electoral Bureau established on Saturday that the USR “cannot do an election campaign of any kind” to another candidate for the presidential election, as long as the party has a candidate, Elena Lasconi. USR challenged the decision in court and claimed a “political censorship masked under bureaucratic arguments”.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal postponed for Thursday the pronouncement of a solution on the appeal filed by the USR in this case, according to Pro TV news.

Also, the court postponed the pronouncement of a decision in another process, in which the leader of the USR deputies, Ionuţ Mărieanu, challenged the decision taken by the bulb by which the campaign materials were deleted in favor of Nicuşor Dan, posted on the Facebook page of the political formation.

Despite the withdrawal of support, Lasconi continues to fight for the first round of the poll including in court.

The USR president went to the Bucharest Court of Appeal on Wednesday, where he asked the two actions to be rejected in the courtroom, announcing the case judge that she is the only legal representative of the party.