Save Romania Union (USR) Chair Elena Lasconi said on Thursday that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu promised her that he will step down from office if USR aligns behind Crin Antonescu for his presidential run.

On the other hand, the USR leader announced her willingness to drop her own candidacy for the presidential election if the coalition parties agreed to support Ilie Bolojan for Romania’s president.

Lasconi made these clarifications following her discussion on Thursday with Prime Minister Ciolacu at the Victoria Palace.

„We are at a moment when, out of love for our country, we should shake off our pride and make a wise decision. These two days we should engage in dialogue and I am glad that I felt openness from this point of view. On the other hand, the prime minister told me that he would resign office if we supported Crin Antonescu. And I told him to ask himself just one question: if any Romanian who left the country to work overseas would ever vote for president someone who hasn’t worked a minute in the last ten years and who was famed as a slacker during his time in Parliament,” the USR leader said in a release.

Lasconi specified that the USR will make a decision following discussions in the party’s leadership forums, but opined that it is out of the question for the formation to support a man who „hasn’t worked a minute in the past ten years”. She also stressed that she supports Ilie Bolojan for president of Romania because he is „on the rise” in opinion polls. She believes that if Nicusor Dan or Crin Antonescu reach the second round, the „isolationist” candidate would win. According to Lasconi, Ciolacu supports Crin Antonescu, but is still „open” to dialogue.

„I told Marcel Ciolacu that for the good of Romania and for us to be sure that we will have a pro-European president, a president who will work for this country, a candidate who stands good chances of winning in the second round (…) I would be willing to bow out of the race and support Ilie Bolojan, and this not out of weakness, but one of love for my country,” Lasconi explained.

AGERPRES