Liberal senator Nicoleta Pauliuc pleaded, on Tuesday, for the party's decision regarding the continuation of the government or entry into the opposition to be postponed and not to be taken “under the influence of emotion”.
She insisted that the National Liberal Party (PNL) must be “in the room where decisions are made”.
“I never want that, by the vote I give in the statutory forums of the party, AUR enters the government. I want the partnership with the president of Romania, who said very clearly that we must be in government. PNL must be in government, because that is our goal: better for Romanians. We talked about the continuity of the Euro-Atlantic policy. We continue the reforms. Where can we do them? In the government. This is what we are discussing here today (in the meeting of the Bureau National Politician – no the BPN meeting of the PNL was ongoing.
The PNL must “be in the room where the decisions are made”, claims Pauliuc
The senator argued that “it is very important that the National Liberal Party is in the room where decisions are made and not to comment on the decisions made by others”.
“The PNL has received a mandate. I want the partnership with President Nicușor Dan, who says very clearly (…) that he wants a pro-European alliance. I don't want the PNL to be anyone's annex party. Be it the PNL, neither the USR annex, nor the PSD annex. Precisely for this reason, I think that in the next period, the discussions, the fact that we all sit down at the table, listen to each other, is an important thing. And in the next period, the extraordinary time I'm sure it will open. We are the National Liberal Party, we have some objectives, we have to carry out reforms, according to Agerpres.
She explained that her liberal vision can only be put “in practice” in government.
“I'm not afraid. I entered the Parliament to make policies for those who sent me. He told me nothing but “a little better for us”. That's why I'm in the National Liberal Party. Because I have a liberal vision and I want my liberal vision to be put into practice. Where can I put it into practice? Than in the government. (…) I, personally, support one thing: that it's very important that we be in government, that we all accept that “not next to AUR”, let's go for a pro-European coalition, as President Nicușor Dan wants, and let's send a message to all the European and international chancelleries, to our strategic partners. If a motion passed today, that doesn't mean that we are less responsible than we were yesterday, when we were in government,” Pauliuc said.
The censure motion initiated by the PSD, AUR and PACE – Romania First parliamentarians against the Government led by the liberal Ilie Bolojan was adopted by the Parliament on Tuesday with 281 votes.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan left the Parliament Palace shortly before the announcement of the result of the vote on the motion, without making any press statements, and went to the Government.
The Liberals then met on Tuesday afternoon in an extended meeting of the National Political Bureau at the Palace of Parliament to decide the steps to be taken after the dismissal of the Cabinet. The meeting lasted almost four hours and was marked by tensions between the two camps: one that pleaded for the PNL to remain in government and one that demanded the PNL's complete break with the PSD and move into the opposition.
At the end of the meeting, Bolojan and the PNL leaders came out with a short press statement and announced the result: the party will enter the opposition.
Nicoleta Pauliuc was one of the three first vice-presidents of the PNL who stood in favor of the idea of the party also participating in the new government.
