President Nicusor Dan is holding informal consultations with parliamentary political parties and organizations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Wednesday, scheduled to last more than 10 hours.

According to the Presidential Administration, the consultations were initiated under Article 80(2) of the Constitution and concern the country’s economic and political situation.

The president said that this is a first round of discussions.

President Nicusor Dan said on Monday that a government supported by a parliamentary majority is in Romania’s interest at the moment.

He emphasized that tax reforms are inevitable and it is mandatory for Romania to make them.

„And I believe that Romanians will put that positive pressure for political parties to assume them,” added Nicusor Dan.

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The first to come to the consultations are the representatives of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), from 9:00.

The interim chairerson of the PSD, Sorin Grindeanu, said on Monday that the Social Democrat delegation will come to the talks with „a mandate open to all options, without making any demands” and will present a set of measures and a Social Democrat vision for the future government.

Grindeanu also listed the „red lines” that PSD cannot cross in order to enter government: „under-funding for local authorities”, „a potential decrease in the area of investment in Romania” and also „a possible decrease in Romanians’ incomes”.

Alongside Sorin Grindeanu, the PSD delegation to the consultations will include Lia Olguta Vasilescu and Victor Negrescu.

From 10:30 representatives of the National Liberal Party (PNL) are expected at the consultations.

The Secretary General of PNL, Adrian Vestea, believes that all pro-European parties should be included in the governmental structure, and that those of „good faith” should have „flexibility” and „openness” for a common governing program.

„I believe that it is necessary that, today, each of those who are of good faith and want to contribute to a better economic situation of Romania to be present, to have flexibility and openness to think together about a government programme”, said Vestea on Tuesday.

In addition to the PNL interim chairperson, the consultations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace will be attended by the liberal leaders Adrian Vestea, Catalin Predoiu, Ciprian Ciucu and Dan Motreanu.

The Save Romania Union (USR) delegation is expected at the talks from 12:00.

USR leaders will tell President Nicusor Dan that the party is ready to take part in the formation of a „stable, credible and reformist” government, Ionut Mosteanu, the party’s leader, told AGERPRES.

USR’s proposals aim, among other things, to reduce „useless” spending and stop wasting public money, as well as to accelerate the absorption of European funds and the „real” implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Party.

Delegates from the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) are scheduled for consultations from 13:30.

The mandate of the UDMR delegation is a broad, open one, and the discussions will focus on the economic situation, said the leader of the Union, Kelemen Hunor, who believes that by June 14 we should have a new government.

Asked if he maintains his position that UDMR does not want to be part of a minority government, he pointed out that the Union’s option „and the first option for everyone is a majority government”.

Cseke Attila, Tzancos Barna, Antal Arpad and Miklos Zoltan Zoltan will attend the consultations alongside Kelemen Hunor.

The Parliamentary Group of National Minorities will attend the consultations at 15:00, and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) – at 16:00.

The spokesman of AUR, Dan Tanasa, announced, however, that the party he represents will not attend the consultations unless the head of state apologises publicly for the „biased and deeply undemocratic statements made during the election campaign”.

„You have declared, without holding back, that in the event that you become president, you will only co-operate with certain parliamentary parties, deliberately excluding parties that have received the trust of millions of Romanian citizens. (…) We cannot endorse a pretence of dialogue whose real aim is to consolidate a new national tradition, by bringing back into government the same parties of the system which, in the last 35 years, have destroyed the economy, alienated millions of Romanians from the country and compromised the future of entire generations,” Tanasa said on Tuesday, as quoted in a press release issued by AUR.

The S.O.S. Romania Party is expected to hold consultations with President Nicusor Dan at 17:00, and from 18:00 talks with the Party of Young People (POT) are scheduled.

POT leader Anamaria Gavrila declared on May 21 that her party’s representatives will go to the Cotroceni Presidential Palace for consultations, if the head of state invites them.

„We will go, because it is very important for the 5.3 million Romanians to be represented. Their voice must be heard, their demands must be heard. And that’s what we will do. We are not changing direction. We are not compromising, but we must overcome certain moments and be pragmatic,” said the POT leader.

The party’s delegation will be made up of MEPs Anamaria Gavrila, Daniel Grofu, Razvan Chirita and Gabriela Porumboiu.

Non-affiliated MPs are expected to attend the talks with President Nicusor Dan starting at 19:00. Among them will be MP George Becali, who confirmed in an intervention on private broadcaster Digi 24 that he will attend the consultations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

AGERPRES