“Ilie Bolojan is a political zombie”, claims Sorin Grindeanu. The plan he imputes to the PNL leader

PSD President Sorin Grindeanu stated, on Antena 1, that Ilie Bolojan has become “a political zombie” clinging to the position of prime minister. At the same time, Grindeanu reproached Bolojan for wanting Romania to be dominated by two poles of power: one “right-wing progressive” made up of PNL and USR and the other sovereignist, and for left-wing parties to have a minor role in Romanian politics.

Sorin Grindeanu said that at the consultations in Cotroceni he presented the conditions that PSD has regarding the formation of the future government.

“We no longer want a government led by Ilie Bolojan (…) Mr. Bolojan is a kind of political zombie who clings to office,” said the PSD leader, adding that “all things are blocked because of one man.”

A second red line is related to a majority with non-Western parties and the fact that PSD will not support a PNL-USR minority government.

“Right-wing progressive pole”

Grindeanu accused Bolojan of systematically trying to block the initiatives of the social democrats within the ruling coalition.

“The explanation is of a political nature. Ilie Bolojan is a follower of the following political philosophy: there must be two large blocs, one progressive and one sovereignist. And the PSD and the other parties from the center, center left, center right, must have a diminished role. It is a political calculation from the first day we entered this coalition,” said Sorin Grindeanu.

The Pesedist stated that this would be proven by the fact that PNL launched more attacks against PSD than against those from AUR

“Through PSD's internal consultation, through the censure motion, we showed a political plan that Ilie Bolojan had in his head: the union of PNL with USR and the creation of a right-wing progressive pole, which would oppose the sovereignist pole,” said the leader of the social democrats.

The 2030 presidential candidacy

Grindeanu also stated that Ilie Bolojan's goal is to run for the upcoming presidential elections

“This is what his lordship is aiming for. I think that's why there is this blockage. He's aiming for 2030, I think that even in 2025 he tried until the last moment to be a candidate for the presidential elections (…) He couldn't because he didn't have support. It's obvious that he wants to be a candidate for the presidential elections. There are still four years. He doesn't want to unblock the political situation, but he wants to build your statue with which he can run in four years”, he concluded Grindeanu.

Today, President Nicușor Dan started the official consultations with the parliamentary parties to form a new government. The stated objective is to form “a pro-Western majority”.

“Each delegation presented its position, argued its constraints and stated under what conditions it would be willing to participate in the government or support a new Executive”, President Nicușor Dan announced in a press release issued on Monday, at the end of the consultations with the parties.

“We will continue the series of consultations until a solid, pro-Western majority option crystallizes,” the president continued.

What are the positions of the main parties

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu, specified, after consultations with President Dan, what is the party's position.

“The main principles that we will not violate are what the party members told us, that we can no longer have a government with Ilie Bolojan as prime minister and the exclusion of an alliance outside of pro-Western parties. These are the principles that we conveyed to the president,” Sorin Grindeanu said.

The PSD delegation stayed for about 30 minutes in Cotroceni. “It was a meeting where the president listened, no names were discussed, absolutely no names,” Social Democratic sources told HotNews.

Instead, the liberals ruled out any future collaboration with the social democrats. “The PNL will no longer support a government and will no longer participate in a government in which the PSD will also be found. We will not support a government with a technocrat prime minister, in which the PSD will also be found. In the context in which the PSD will be in government, the PNL will be in opposition,” said Ilie Bolojan, at the end of the consultations with Nicușor Dan.

The USR delegation had the longest discussion with the president among all party delegations, expressing at the end a position similar to that of the PNL.

“The PSD blocked, sabotaged the reforms and that is precisely why we do not see how we can do them with the PSD in a joint government. This means that if the PSD finds a majority, we will enter the opposition,” said Dominic Fritz, who also ruled out participating in a government with a technocrat prime minister.

UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor stated that the Union is open to restoring the former coalition. “A minority government cannot survive very long and there is no option of supporting a government with AUR behind it. Everything else can be discussed,” said Kelemen.

AUR, the main opposition party, has announced that it is willing to take over the government, with a prime minister to be proposed by the party. “We appeal to the Romanians to support us and, if in the current architecture of the Parliament we will not find the necessary majority, let's go back to the people”, declared George Simion.