Cristian Tudor Popescu, after the PSD-AUR announcement: “Champagne bottles are being opened” at the Kremlin
The PSD and AUR initiative to submit a motion of censure against the Government is “extremely to the liking of the Kremlin” and pushes Romania towards “decline and chaos”, journalist and writer Cristian Tudor Popescu said on Monday evening, in a telephone intervention on B1 TV.
“What we are seeing now is almost a natural thing that is directed against the Romanian state, against its state in the European Union, because such a gesture can only lead to the elimination of Romania from its current position in the EU and throwing it aside,” said the journalist.
He claimed that PSD and AUR's decision “is to the extreme liking of the Kremlin”.
“What PSD and AUR have done now is to the extreme liking of the Kremlin. The champagne bottles are being uncorked (…) What could they expect better in relation to Romania, better for Putin, than this. What is Russia's objective in relation to Romania? Pushing the country into a downward spiral, into chaos. They are not interested in supporting one party or another after all. Any party that pushes the country into chaos is good, at the moment, under the conditions its terrible tension”, said the journalist.
The journalist also criticized the PSD leadership, stating that “Sorin Grindeanu took the PSD as a natural person” and that the decision regarding the motion was not communicated to important party leaders.
Regarding the scenario of the early elections, the CTP explained that the procedure is long-term: two falls of the government are necessary, after which the president can decide to dissolve the Parliament.
“From there another deadline is set, an electoral campaign for early elections is needed. So until winter we cannot discuss about early elections. This summer Romania's fate will be sealed, whatever it will be. The situation we are in now does not wait until November. (…) I don't know what will be decided in Romania until early elections”, continued Cristian Tudor Popescu.
“The motion has a considerable chance of passing”
Asked what President Nicușor Dan can do, the journalist said “nothing”.
“I don't expect anything anymore. This man doesn't know what he's doing (…) He has no possibility now to effectively influence the political situation in Romania. It will move forward, once something like this has been triggered (…) the situation can't be reversed, after they actually left the government, can you imagine them coming back? but those in the coalition don't welcome them back,” explained Cristian Tudor Popescu.
“It will go until the vote of that censure motion in Parliament, which has a considerable chance of passing. With PSD, with AUR, with SOS, with POT, PACE (…) it may pass. I would not be happy at all to hear that the PNL with Bolojan or USR or UDMR are negotiating vote-buying for the motion (…) I don't think they have to do that,” CTP added.
No-confidence motion PSD-AUR against the Bolojan Government
The number 2 of AUR, Petrișor Peiu, and the former PSD deputy prime minister Marian Neașcu declared, in a joint announcement on Monday morning, that they are working on the “technical part” for a no-confidence motion against the Government led by Ilie Bolojan.
The joint announcement of the two parties comes after, on Thursday, PSD withdrew its six ministers from the Government.
PSD and AUR claim that until this moment “absolutely nothing” has been discussed about a possible government together after the possible dismissal of the current cabinet.
Until Monday evening, among the opposition formations, only the PACE – First Romania parliamentary group confirmed that it supports the motion announced by PSD and AUR. Together they have 231 votes in Parliament, 1 less than the number needed to dismiss the Government.
PSD President Sorin Grindeanu said that the National Permanent Bureau and PSD branch presidents unanimously decided that the party's parliamentarians should sign and vote on the censure motion and asked the state secretaries and prefects proposed by PSD to resign.
