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Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday evening that he prefers to be invited directly to a discussion with the leaders of the parliamentary parties, not through letters sent to the media, as long as he answers his phone.
"I am a man of dialogue and I dialogue with any person, with any citizen, if there is truly an availability for dialogue. To participate in meetings where a leader or another ticks off a political success is not in my character. And, when I'm invited, I prefer not to be invited through open letters sent to the media, as long as my phone number is known and I answer the phone to whoever is looking for me," Orban told public broadcaster TVR 1.
Referring to the attitude of the Save Romania Union (USR), the Prime Minister showed that he does not feel betrayed, and the fact that the party leader participated in the videoconference on Tuesday doesn't necessarily mean the Union has changed position, "although they kind of symbolically aligned themselves with the PSD [Social Democratic Party]".
"The fact that they participated in the videoconference doesn't necessarily mean that they have changed positions, although they kind of symbolically aligned themselves behind the PSD through this participation. No, on the contrary [he does not feel betrayed - e.n.], I have a constant dialogue with our partners in the USR, in the PMP [People's Movement Party] and the simple participation in a discussion did not represent an abandoning of a political line. It was simply... maybe a bit of naivety," the Prime Minister stated.
Asked how he comments on the possibility of a motion of censure being initiated, the head of the Government said: "We are concerned firstly with the fight against the epidemic and to prepare measures for economic recovery."
The interim chair of the PSD, Marcel Ciolacu, stated on Tuesday, that all parties, with the exception of the National Liberal Party (PNL) headed by Ludovic Orban, convened to join in Parliament and speak "in a single voice" when it comes to the urgent measures that are necessary to support Romanians and the business environment. He referred to a meeting of the parliamentary parties' leaders, at his initiative.
"Today we had a discussion with all the leaders of the political forces in Parliament that answered the call that I made some days ago. And today, PNL was the only party who refused any form of dialogue on the topic of the situation Romania is currently in due to the health and economy crisis. As a consequence, all the parties, with the exception of the PNL, understood to join in Parliament and speak in a single voice when it comes to the urgent measures that are necessary to support Romanians and the business environment," Ciolacu wrote on Tuesday on Facebook.
The chairman of the Save Romania Union (USR), Dan Barna, also announced on Tuesday that he had a meeting with the leaders of the other parliamentary parties and they convened to ask Prime Minister Ludovic Orban for a weekly meeting with regards to the measures to exit the crisis.
"I participated this afternoon in a discussion with the leaders of the other parliamentary parties. The topics concerned the public health crisis, the economic and social effects it implies and the measures that can be taken at the parliamentary level. We have convened to request Prime Minister Orban a weekly meeting with the parliamentary parties with regards to the measures to exit the crisis. Furthermore, we call on the Prime Minister to send to Parliament all the measures that he has in view in this period. We believe that a serious debate of these measures can contribute to their improvement to the benefit of the entire society," the USR leader mentioned, in a Facebook post. He mentioned that the discussion represented "a natural exercise of consultation" between the parties in Parliament.
