The leaders of the PNL county organizations discussed the relationship with the PSD and the UMDR within the governing coalition, but also about the problems of the mayors, liberal sources told G4Media, at a hastily convened meeting on Sunday evening, at Vila Lac in Bucharest.
The meeting led by Nicolae Ciucă, the president of the party, lasted over five hours. The phones were jammed, according to G4Media sources.
One of the topics of discussion was the relationship with the PSD, after the social-democratic leaders launched concerted attacks on the PNL and questioned the coalition protocol after the May rotation. Thus, the social democrats have publicly conveyed that they want to keep the Ministry of Transport after the rotation, although the protocol of the coalition stipulates that this ministry should go to the PNL.
The PNL leaders were inclined not to accept any modification of the coalition protocol, although the attitude of Prime Minister Ciucă was rather in favor of a more extensive exchange with the PSD. “We do not agree with any deal with PSD in addition to what already exists in the protocol,” a liberal leader told G4Media.
“There are big complaints that PSD is riding on us. PSD demands on the official page the resignation of PNL ministers, they have started the campaign to recruit the mayors, unfortunately everyone is worried about the situation after the ring road. If PSD is behaving like this now, how will it be after they have the prime minister?”, a PNL leader told G4Media.
Prime Minister Ciucă asked the liberals not to attack Marcel Ciolacu and Kelemen Hunor, the leaders of the coalition parties.
Instead, the Liberals agreed to launch attacks on AUR after the extremist party surged in the polls.
Another topic raised by local leaders was the National Investment Company (CNI) under the Ministry of Development. Liberal mayors complained that CNI only signs contracts in towns or counties led by PSD and UDMR.
Most of the meeting was devoted to technical issues related to gas and utility networks, to the detriment of the big political issues, to the displeasure of some of the party leaders. Rareș Bogdan, the first vice-president of the PNL, said in the meeting that if the party focuses on micromanagement without addressing big political issues, it will have difficulty getting more than 14% in the elections. “For a score over 24%, we must launch big projects and address the problems of the diaspora”, he said in the meeting.
Regarding the subject of Lucian Bode, the Minister of the Interior said that the attacks on him would actually target the party and even the coalition.
PNL leaders also have two party meetings on Monday: the National Permanent Bureau (BPN) is scheduled from 11:00 a.m., and from 6:00 p.m. there is a meeting of the groups gathered from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
