Ex-PM Ciolos: I’m not the one who should reform the PNL. I couldn’t do it in 2016, and it wasn’t my mission either

Ex-Premier Dacian Ciolos says that his statements about the PNL must be read against the backdrop of deep concern he has about 2020, because a fragile political alliance would lead to a failure of priorities. “It’s a moment of deep concern, because I realise that we are still very far from the solution we need. (…) The responses I got, here and there disqualifying those who gave them, confirm my concern,” Ciolos says. He adds that he is not the one who should reform the PNL. “I could not do it in 2016, and it was not my mission either, just as it is not my mission today either. It’s the mission of the honest members of the PNL. (…) But all the members of Romanian parties must know that if they do not carry out the reform that their own parties need then it will be carried out by the voters themselves, at the polls,” he added. “I would like to clarify, as much as possible, the small tempest in a teacup stirred recently by my statements regarding the friends from the PNL. I must admit that the year 2020 raises some fears in me. It’s obvious that the PSD can only be removed by a wide-ranging coalition, but at the same time we cannot ignore the lessons we got from what the CDR and the DA Alliance meant. A lot of hope and joy became disappointment and unhoped-for help for the PSD,” Dacian Ciolos wrote on Facebook on Thursday. He says that Romanian society was unable to successfully oppose the political model promoted by the PSD. “We, the Romanian society, were unable to successfully oppose the political model promoted by this party which has captured all economic and social strata. From this standpoint, I’m concerned about 2020. If we form a weak or fragile political alliance, with which we will not be able to fundamentally change society and offer a viable model of sustainable development, we will register a failure of priorities. I would like my thoughts on the PNL to be read from this standpoint. It’s a moment of deep concern, because I realise that we are still very far from the solution we need. We have all made mistakes at some point or we have not always lived up to the expectations of those supporting us or voting for us. The responses I got, here and there disqualifying those who gave them, confirm my concern,” Ciolos states. He says he does not want to fuel this polemic. “I’m not the one who should reform the PNL. I could not do it in 2016, and it was not my mission either, just as it is not my mission today either. It’s the mission of the honest members of the PNL. They are many and I assure them of all my appreciation. But all the members of Romanian parties must know that if they do not carry out the reform that their own parties need then it will be carried out by the voters themselves, at the polls. And I’m convinced they have enough data to understand what I’m saying,” he pointed out. Ciolos added that he is open to collaboration with the PNL and USR. “I assure them that they will always find an honest partner in us and that we hope we will manage to lay the basis of a solid political construct that can handle the elections, but especially the post-elections period. I reject the idea that we are allegedly “condemned” to work together. Democracy does not condemn you, democracy demands honesty and the capacity to admit your own mistakes. I expect the PNL to join us in the work for a better Romania, because difficult times lie ahead,” Ciolos concluded. On Sunday, ex-Premier Dacian Ciolos talked about an old political class which “refuses to see that Romania has changed” and the international context is different. Referring to the PSD, Ciolos said that “it has no desire or knowledge to get Romania out of poverty” because keeping the electorate “in the captivity of poverty” suits them. On the PNL, he said that “they obstinately refuse to undergo reform and are waiting for the PSD to slump naturally.” PNL Vice President Raluca Turcan subsequently stated that the most solid contribution that Dacian Ciolos could bring to the Opposition’s actions would be for him to stop attacking the other parties. “I don’t understand how someone can negotiate the toppling of a Government while having neither a parliamentary group nor a party,” Turcan said.

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