The role of the president is to represent the entire nation, including the diaspora, not „to always be in a masked and unnatural relationship of connivance with a single party,” independent candidate for the presidential elections Mircea Geoana stated on Thursday.

„Look at the past 10 years, with whom he started every government – the PNL (National Liberal Party), the party of President Iohannis. In my case, since I do not belong to any party, I have the freedom to go to that structure of parties and to those people who we really want to see in the state apparatus, who are competent and who want to do their job. (…) It is not the president’s business to indicate how one government or another should do it,” Geoana told a press conference held at the BEC (Central Electoral Bureau) headquarters, where he submitted the list of signatures for his presidential candidacy.

Asked who he would appoint as prime minister, if he became president, he indicated that his first condition is not related to a certain person or party colour, while also adding that the big parties could also have a changed leadership by then.

„The thing with the prime minister is that it has to do with the parties, it is not my problem who is the leader of the PSD (Social Democratic Party), the PNL, the USR (Save Romania Union) or any other party. I will democratically and respectfully await for the vote of the Romanians in the parliamentary elections, and I will see the configuration of the Parliament, I will see what leadership the parliamentary parties will have, and I will discuss with these parties before appointing not only a prime minister, but also a governing and presidential programme, which we will build together in the most serious way,” explained Geoana.

He recalled that the current coalition was formed under the important motivation of stability in Romania, being now formed by two large parties that have a considerable majority, but that „did small things.”

„I will be a president who respects the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. The Constitution of Romania says that the president is above the interests of the party, and this lie, this constitutional fiction saying that someone who is from a party makes like a magic trick and gives up that party immediatly, well, this is a lie that we all know. And Mr. Iohannis is no exception, he wants to come back,” said the former NATO official.

He also said that he was disturbed by the lack of transparency regarding the spending of public money by the current president.

AGERPRES