President Nicusor Dan: Romania's institutions continue to function despite the caretaker government's constitutional limitations

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on Tuesday he is optimistic Romania will avoid a downgrade of its sovereign credit rating to junk status, adding that he is prepared to become personally involved in discussions with rating agencies if necessary."As you know, the rating reviews are scheduled for July, early August and October. To the extent that it is useful, I will become personally involved. I have already asked the leaders of the political parties, who are under pressure at the moment, to make themselves available to the rating agencies and tell them what I have also said - that on the fundamental issues Romania is facing, which have an impact on the country's finances and economy, there is political alignment. I am optimistic that we will avoid a downgrade, which would be catastrophic for us," the president said when asked about the risk of Romania being downgraded to junk status.Asked whether a future government could seek an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if the economic situation deteriorates, Dan replied: "If any of those reports is negative, we will regret the current situation."   President Nicusor Dan conveys to those who voted for him and who now feel disappointed that, being a rational politician, he believes he is right and is leading Romania in the right direction."I tell them that I am a rational man and when a rational man makes a decision against a part of his supporters, it means that he has a valid reason, right? Because, otherwise, your instinct as a politician tells you to go along with what your supporters tell you. And that means that me, being a rational politician, means that, in my opinion, obviously, with the responsibility and with the oath I took upon inauguration, I consider that I am right and I am leading Romania in the right direction," Nicusor Dan declared on Wednesday, in a press conference.Asked if he had any responsibility for the political crisis and if he had done anything wrong, the president said: "Obviously, everyone made mistakes.""A year ago, we set out with the solution?which, in my opinion, remains the best for Romania?of a government comprising four parties plus the minorities. And over the course of that year, each of us could have done more to ensure this coalition held together. That is the answer," said Nicusor Dan.   President Nicusor Dan declared on Tuesday, in connection with his statements that the PNL had changed its position, that during the negotiations at Cotroceni it was explicit that the PNL supports a PSD minority government."I was only referring to that moment. And that moment, in terms of the content of the discussions, not the public statements at the exit, but the content of the discussions within the negotiations, where so many people were present, the change in discourse was very clear. That is, it was explicit: PNL supports a PSD minority Government. It was explicit, that is, the answer to the question, including after that some questions followed: what is happening with the state secretaries, with the prefects", stated Nicusor Dan when asked, in a press conference, about the change in PNL position and whether PNL leader, Ilie Bolojan, lied to him.He added that he would have liked the liberals to say "honestly" that they had reconsidered their position."I would have liked, honestly, to be told: we have reconsidered our position, not to interfere in this useless debate, that's all," said Nicusor Dan.His position is that all parties participate in the discussions on the formation of the Government: "Everyone is discussing here, I have nothing to reproach the parties for, they discussed even yesterday."On Friday, President Nicusor Dan said that the parties had returned to the "political deadlock" after the PNL had committed on Tuesday to vote for a minority PSD Government, but later changed its position."We have returned to the political deadlock that on Tuesday we thought had been overcome. Based on the positions of the parties in the consultations, there was only one formula that seemed to meet the support of a parliamentary majority: a PSD minority government. On Tuesday, the PNL committed to voting for a PSD minority government, with certain conditions regarding the governing program. From Tuesday until today, the PNL has changed its position," Nicusor Dan wrote on X on Friday.In response, the PNL also conveyed that the position of the party and the party's president, Ilie Bolojan, was the same in discussions with partners, in official consultations and in public statements and remains the same, noting that for the liberals "consistency and respect for the word given are more important than any political dispute."   President Nicusor Dan also said on Tuesday it is now "a certainty" that a new government would fail to win parliamentary approval, after previous rounds of talks with political parties had suggested it could obtain the necessary support."In previous situations, following the discussions I had with the political parties, there was a reasonable expectation that the government would pass. Now it is a certainty that it will not. And I do not want us to engage in an exercise of 'let's pretend to appoint a prime minister and designate a government'," the president said during a press statement.He stressed that Romania's institutions continue to function despite the caretaker government's constitutional limitations."The Romanian state is functioning, the institutions are functioning. We have a government that has certain constitutional limitations, but the Romanian state is functioning," he said.The president added that, in exceptional circumstances, Parliament can convene to address those limitations and noted that political parties remain committed to respecting the state budget, deficit targets, Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument and the country's accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Nicusor Dan said he remains in frequent contact with parliamentary party leaders on efforts to form a new government."I am in a situation where, after two months without a government, I am not asking for much. I simply want to be certain there are 233 members of Parliament who will vote in favour. For those 233 votes to exist, the parties have to reach an agreement among themselves. From my perspective, I am not asking for any agreement or setting any conditions - only that there be 233 votes," he said.The president also reiterated that there is no scenario under which the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) would be part of the parliamentary majority backing the next prime minister.Nicusor Dan made the remarks after a working lunch with ambassadors of European Union member states accredited to Romania.(Photo:https://www.presidency.ro/)