Prime Minister Florin Citu, who is running for Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) against incumbent leader Ludovic Orban, says that the party has slipped into "dictatorship" as members are "afraid of having an option".
Citu participates in the Election Conference of the PNL Bucharest Sector 2 Organization, and announced his support for Monica Anisie as branch president.
"Monica, it's my turn to throw my support behind you. You backed me from the first moment I announced my candidacy and I would like, with your permission, to tell people what you have been through then, because you you were afraid to join me for the 'family' picture, you were afraid of the repercussions, that's where we are in the National Liberal Party - being afraid to express an option, being afraid to publicly assert one's option, one's choice. This is not liberalism, this is dictatorship," Citu said, Agerpres informs.
He told the attending Liberals that, "regardless of their option", he considers them to be his colleagues.
"Dear colleagues, regardless of your option, to me you are my colleagues, you are not jerks, you are not traitors. You are all my colleagues, whatever the result will be on September 25 or today, because after all we are all Liberals, and liberalism means respecting the opinion of others, even if it differs from yours," the Prime Minister said.
He reiterated that the September 25 election is "about the future of the PNL".
"For this leadership election to be meaningful, we must have the courage to look back and see what went wrong. Let's make the necessary corrections, because if we hide the trash under the carpet it will stay there and in 2024 we will complain again, but President Klaus Iohannis will no longer be there to strike a partnership with us, for a Liberal government and Prime Minister. No, because we have to admit that we are here today thanks to this partnership," Florin Citu said.
He also advised the Liberals to look to the past and see "that the National Liberal Party is not the largest party in Romania, and politically assess what they have lost from their right-wing electorate."