Elections are not a privilege of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), deputy Catalin Drula of the Save Romania Union (USR) declared after PSD’s First Deputy Chairman Daniel Baluta said that his party could pull out of the ruling coalition in the event of a USR-PNL alliance for the Bucharest City Hall.

„Threatening the stability of the country for petty party gain is political blackmail at the people’s cost. Elections are not a privilege of the PSD, they are a right of the people and no one is allowed to treat it as a party arrangement. You cannot toy around with democracy and with the right to vote. Mr. Baluta and the PSD should show more respect towards Romanians and the Bucharesters,” Drula said, as cited in an USR release.

The MP stressed that elections do not represent „a decision of opportunity” of the government or a particular party, but „a legal obligation” provided for by law. Elections must be held within three months of the vacancy,” Drula mentioned.

„Bucharest needs elections. We have had an interim mayor for 108 days now. This situation cannot go on like this. Our city needs a legitimate mayor, voted by the people, to bring order to traffic, clean up the administration and develop a unified city,” the former USR Chairman said.

The Social Democrats would withdraw from the governing coalition if the PNL and USR formed an alliance for Bucharest, Sector 4 mayor Daniel Baluta said, arguing that „a PNL-USR alliance (…) definitely excludes the PSD. We cannot be together in a coalition and fight during an electoral campaign. That is on the one hand. On the other hand, we do remember USR’s rhetoric over time, stating that it is inadmissible – and I am sure they were right – for power to be concentrated in only one direction, it is good for power to be shared.”

He stressed that the actual dispute is not about the election date, and that the most important aspect is a program for Bucharest residents.

„This isolationist approach of our coalition partners regarding the Bucharest local election can definitely determine us to leave the coalition. It is not normal for us to stand together in a governing alliance like this and yet battle each other in an electoral campaign,” added Baluta. AGERPRES