AUR strategy after the overthrow of the Bolojan government. George Simion sets conditions for entering the government

AUR President George Simion has announced that his party is willing to enter government and correct the errors of the previous government, but only if his team gives the premiership.

“We are at the point where this government has fallen. I thank all the AUR parliamentarians who did not betray. Walking on the street, I met citizens who smiled and congratulated us. I received congratulations from the international political environment, from Turkey, Italy, Poland and the USA,” said George Simion.

“We are willing to enter the government and correct the errors committed by the four-party government (…) as long as the AUR is accepted to appoint the prime minister,” continued the AUR leader.

He specified, however, that PSD, as the first party in terms of weight in Parliament, is entitled to the first nomination of a candidate for prime minister.

Simion expressed his displeasure at the fact that President Dan announced that there would be “informal discussions” with the parties before the formal consultations, which is why the AUR is considering not participating in the consultations.

“We will not be useful idiots to imitate Nicușor Dan's consultations,” said the AUR president.

Also, Simion was dissatisfied with the wording “reasonable term” used by the president Nicușor Dan for the installation of a new cabinet.

“We draw attention to the fact that it is not very clear. When he says reasonable time, it can mean half a year, a year. He promised a report on the cancellation of the elections, he did not present anything even after a year. We cannot stay with Ilie Bolojan indefinitely,” the AUR leader also said.

“We have several names of prime ministers, but we cannot put the cart before the oxen, especially since we have many oxen in Romanian politics. We do not support any PSD prime minister, the only option in which AUR will enter the government is to have a prime minister,” explained George Simion.

Appeal to Transylvanian Hungarians

Simion appealed to the Hungarian minority to join the AUR as the UDMR no longer represents their interests:

“The ethnic Hungarians who took to the streets at the beginning of the year to protest against Bolojan's taxes demanded a vote of no confidence. UDMR has a legitimacy problem (…) I appeal to all ethnic Hungarians to register in the AUR and to all Romanian citizens”.

Simion said that he will stop any international financial assistance until Romania reaches a budget deficit of 3%. “It's about Ukraine, but not only Ukraine,” the AUR leader said.

Senator Petrișor Peiu then presented the measures that AUR would adopt after becoming the main ruling party.

“Energy is the central problem of suppressing economic growth in Romania. Prime Minister Bolojan did not give the correct diagnosis, saying that too many opinions were given. There are strategic problems that have burdened the system for years. The first problem is decarbonization, an aggressive policy to stop coal and then gas capacities, without putting anything in place,” said Peiu.

He said it was necessary to create a holding company made up of the main state energy companies that would allow for a lower energy price. In addition, Peiu claims that it is necessary to take over the Azomureș plant by Romgaz.

President Dan promises a pro-Western government

The Bolojan government was dismissed on Tuesday, following the adoption of the PSD-AUR censure motion, entitled “Stop the Bolojan plan”. The motion was adopted with 281 votes out of the 285 validly cast, well above the minimum required threshold of 233 “for” votes.

Even if the Bolojan government has failed, it will remain interim until President Nicușor Dan appoints a new prime minister to form the Government.

In the first public appearance after the dismissal of the Bolojan government, President Nicușor Dan said that he will start talks with the parties, at the end of which Romania will have a new pro-Western government.

“We will have a government in a reasonable time, excluding the scenario of early elections and, I emphasize, at the end of the negotiations, we will have a pro-Western government. Calmly, we will go through it,” said Nicușor Dan, in a short press statement.

The positions of the parties after the dismissal of Bolojan

“In Cotroceni, together with the other parties, we must go forward. I will go with my colleagues saying that we want to preserve the coalition. That we do not support minority governments”, said the president of the PSD, Sorin Grindeanu, after the announcement of the result.

“All options are open,” the PSD leader said, adding that “we don't want a technocrat prime minister.”

The leadership of the PNL met in a meeting from 5 p.m., a meeting in which a vote was taken to strengthen the resolutions already adopted by the party, according to which the PNL will no longer collaborate with the PSD. 34 Liberals voted in favor and 10 abstained.

Among the prominent leaders of the PNL who spoke out either for entering the opposition or for a minority government, but without the PSD, were the first vice-president Ciprian Ciucu and the general secretary Dan Motreanu. Instead, the other three first vice-presidents – Nicoleta Pauliuc, Cătălin Predoiu and Adrian Veștea – requested the resumption of negotiations to rebuild the pro-European coalition.

In parallel with the PNL, the USR also voted again, on Tuesday evening, the resolution that excludes a governmental majority with the PSD.

The decision was taken by the USR Political Committee, which brings together 160 party leaders, USR leader Dominic Fritz announced.