The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) presidential candidate, George Simion, reaffirmed on Tuesday evening that he will nominate Georgescu for the position of prime minister, adding that there are several possible paths forward, including early elections.

Asked in a Digi24 TV interview whether he plans, if elected president, to appoint Calin Georgescu as prime minister, George Simion said that this is a commitment he has made to the Romanian people.

„There are several possibilities; this is one of them,” he emphasised.

George Simion added that he has had numerous discussions with Calin Georgescu, but they must get past „a milestone called May 18,” otherwise, „we’re selling the bear’s skin before catching it.”

„Two days ago, I was telling someone and trying to explain this theory, arguing that the current majority will not remain in its current composition and the coalition will fall apart if the Romanian people do not place their candidate in the second round. And here we are, two days later, and I was right. In fact, I was right back in December at the end of the electoral cycle, when Marcel Ciolacu should not have been reappointed as prime minister. And I strongly fear that we haven’t gotten rid of Marcel Ciolacu yet,” said Simion.

He then clarified that he will nominate Calin Georgescu as prime minister: „Yes, I will nominate him.”

Regarding the possibility that Calin Georgescu might not secure a parliamentary majority, Simion referred to a provision in the Constitution: „The Constitution says this: the President can nominate one person and then another. From the date of the first nomination, there are 60 days available, after which the President can dissolve Parliament.”

According to the AUR leader, there are several options on the table, with early elections not being ruled out.

„There are several options in play. I expect the current composition of Parliament, considering the overwhelming vote, it’s almost unprecedented to have such a large gap between first and second place in our short electoral history (not of democracy, because I wouldn’t call it that anymore), we’ll see if this vote holds and if we have the public’s support, if Romanians accept this option. I will likely insist on going to early elections with Calin Georgescu, but the probability is quite low because I expect to find 50 percent plus one of the members of Parliament. (…) I don’t know what’s happening with PSD right now, I’m not Baba Vanga. Same with PNL or USR. Technically, neither PSD nor USR has a president anymore. We’ll see what happens with Mr. Bolojan. It’s uncertain. I will also no longer be the president of AUR once I go to Cotroceni. So these are some hypotheses. (…) I believe I will propose Mr. Calin Georgescu and we’ll find 50 percent plus one of the parliamentarians who will vote for him,” explained George Simion.

He added that early elections are a possibility, though he would sincerely prefer to avoid them.

Asked whether such a move would create instability, Simion responded that he was not the one who created it.

„I didn’t create it, but those who brought us here did, five months after the cancellation of the elections at BBB minus. I was accused of being responsible for the rise in the exchange rate, that the stock markets fell. Let’s be serious. Who was in charge? I sincerely doubt that our budget deficit is 8.59%. I think there are bigger problems there. (…) I have multiple, converging sources. The situation is more dramatic than we know today,” added the AUR leader.

AGERPRES