Prime Minister-designate Eugen Tomac begins negotiations for the investiture vote. The names circulated for the ministries and the conditions set by the parties
The appointed Prime Minister, Eugen Tomac, will start, on Monday, the discussions with the parliamentary parties to support his Cabinet. The MEP and honorary adviser for relations with Romanians everywhere of Nicușor Dan has 10 days, from the nomination by the president, i.e. until Sunday, to appear before the Parliament to obtain the investiture vote.
According to the Constitution, Eugen Tomac has 10 days from the nomination for the position of prime minister, which was made official on Friday by the decree published in the Official Gazette, to come before the Parliament and ask for a vote of confidence. Thus, by Sunday he must obtain the parliamentary majority for his cabinet.
Tomac will have his first talks with PNL, USR and PSD on Monday, according to News.ro, to support his technocrat Cabinet.
He will have meetings with the liberals at 11 a.m., with USR representatives at 2 p.m. and with the social democrats at 5 p.m., and these will continue during the following days, with the other parliamentary groups.
Nicușor Dan's advisor is going to present his Cabinet of Ministers and the main measures of his governing program to the parties.
The names circulated for the Tomac Government
Eugen Tomac announced at the Cotroceni Palace that he will propose to the Parliament a “technical, not political” government
Among the names of ministers circulated in the public space are Luca Niculescu, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mihnea Motoc, at Defense, the president's adviser Sorin Costreie, at Education, Valentina Robu and Lavinia Niculescu, options for the Ministry of Labor.
At the Ministry of Finance, there are Bogdan Drăgoi and Şerban Matei as options, while at the Ministry of Health, the name of the manager of the University Hospital, Cătălin Cîrstoiu, was circulated, as well as the name of the vice-rector of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Bucharest, Ştefan Busnatu, a cardiologist at the Bagdasar-Arseni Hospital.
At the Ministry of Regional Development, a name that appeared is that of the sociologist Vladimir Ionaş, but also that of Ştefan Șigănaş.
Dragoş Pîslaru could remain at the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, while the name of Cosmin Filatov was circulated at the Ministry of Justice. Professor Adrian Papahagi is in the books of the Ministry of Culture. Nicolae Istudor appears as an option for the Ministry of Agriculture.
The presidential adviser Radu Burnete is circulated for the position of deputy prime minister in the Tomac Government.
What the parliamentary arithmetic shows
In order to be sworn in as prime minister, Tomac needs the vote of the majority of deputies and senators, i.e. 233 votes.
- PSD – 128 MPs
- GOLD – 90 MPs
- PNL – 76 parliamentarians
- USR – 59 MPs
- UDMR – 31 MPs.
- Minorities – 17 parliamentarians.
- United for Romania – 14 members
- The SOS Romania group – 15 members
- Unaffiliated – 15 deputies and 8 senators
- Pace-Intâi Romania Group – 11 senators
What the head of the PNL says about supporting Tomac
Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, president of the PNL, announced that the liberals will not vote for a Government in which there are secretaries of state or heads of devolved services subordinated to the ministries who have been put in positions or who are supported by the PSD, citing the lack of trust that the PNL has in the social democrats, after they demolished, through a no-confidence motion, the Government of which they themselves were part.
Bolojan also said that he “gathered all his things” and is ready to hand over the government, he also emphasized that, if it is necessary to ensure the continuity of the Executive, he will do so regardless of whether he has made vacation plans or not.
He mentioned that the party he leads will support, regardless of whether it will be in power or in opposition, those projects necessary to access grants from European funds, but also the projects related to the “good governance” of the country.
UDMR is waiting to see the Government's formula and the governing program
The president of UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, said that the representatives of the formation are waiting to see what the government program is, who are the proposed ministers and what are the intentions of the designated prime minister Eugen Tomac, and later they will make a decision regarding the support of the investiture of the government. “We will see what solutions Eugen Tomac proposes for the challenges facing the country and if there are prerequisites for a government that can function in the longer term,” added Kelemen.
“PSD is open to talk with Prime Minister-designate Eugen Tomac”
The leader of the social democrats, Sorin Grindeanu, said that the PSD is open to discussing with Prime Minister-designate Eugen Tomac in order to coagulate a parliamentary majority. The head of the PSD also specified that, in order to support the new Government, the PSD wishes to observe the following principles: the resumption of investments and economic stimulation to recover lost jobs, the protection of Romanians with low and medium incomes and the support of Romanian SMEs.
“Romania and the Romanians need, as quickly as possible, a Government! The Social Democratic Party is open to discussing with the designated Prime Minister Eugen Tomac in order to coagulate a parliamentary majority”, was the announcement of the PSD president immediately after Tomac's nomination.
What conditions does the USR set for supporting the Tomac Government
The President of the USR, Dominic Fritz, announced that his party will talk with Prime Minister-designate Eugen Tomac, out of respect for the President and the national interest, but specified that the USR enters into the discussion with the clear lines it has decided, i.e. without any formula with the PSD.
“Today we are convinced that the formula that deserves the USR's support is a government that includes the USR ministers. All four, Diana Buzoianu, Radu Miruţă, Oana Ţoiu and Irineu Darău, have demonstrated courage, competence and real will to reform”, added Fritz.
“AUR will not support such a thing”
George Simion, the leader of the AUR, said even before the nomination of Tomac, that a government without popular support will be announced and it is just the continuation of the blow given to democracy.
Simion said that his party will not support this Executive and the AUR parliamentarians will not enter the voting hall for the election of a prime minister who did not receive even 1% support from Romanians.
The conditions set by the PACE – First Romania group
The PACE – First Romania parliamentary group announced on Thursday, after President Nicusor Dan's nomination of Eugen Tomac, for the formation of the government, that it does not offer blank checks and the parliamentary group's vote for the investiture of any cabinet is strictly conditional on the full acceptance of three fundamental red lines: cleaning the structures of USR influence, without facade technocrats and assuming 10 emergency measures.
What does the president Nicusor Dan say
President Nicusor Dan said on Friday that he hopes that all pro-Western forces will support this government, because there is no other logical pro-Western possibility that has a majority behind it.
“The scenario I like the most would be for the parties from the former coalition to support this technocrat government,” the head of state emphasized, adding that there is no question of this support coming from the AUR.
Also, the president Nicusor Dan declared, on Friday, about the composition of the future Tomac government, that there are interesting people among his advisers, but it is a discussion strictly between Eugen Tomac and the people he wants.
The head of state also commented on the accusations that he would form his “government”.
“The fundamental difference is that, alternatively, if somehow a government of my predecessors failed, there was a clearly pro-Western alternative. That's the fundamental difference. In the choice I made, there was no pride or, I know, any desire, but it was to respond to a necessity, because, really, you are journalists and talk to political parties, there is no other pro-Western solution at this moment,” said Dan.
Asked if he will assume a possible failure of Eugen Tomac, the head of states said that any politician assumes all the gestures he makes.
“I repeat, at this moment it was a gesture of acceptance of a reality”, said Nicuşor Dan.
Asked, on Friday, what happens if the designated prime minister, Eugen Tomac, fails to gather the necessary majority, Nicușor Dan answered: “I don't want to talk about it now.”
