USR's Barna: I want to believe that PNL, PM really want mayors to be elected in two rounds

Save Romania Union (USR) leader Dan Barna on Wednesday said he really wanted to believe that PNL (National Liberal Party) and Prime Minister Ludovic Orban really want to have mayors elected in two rounds, bringing to mind at the same time that this was one of the items included in the political agreement concluded between the two political entities before the current Government's investiture too.

"I want to believe that PNL and PM Orban really want to have two-round mayoral elections in Romania. And we still have some options in the next interval, we will see what happens with the motion first. It's a priority for Romania [the election of mayor's in two rounds - editor's note]. Our position will be consistent in this respect and this is one of the pressures that we will continue to maintain on the PNL," Barna said in Parliament.

Asked if the agreement with the PNL got honoured to a satisfying extent, until now, the USR head said: "We've made a new step today - the election of mayors in two rounds. We still have the Rosia Montana issue pending, with three more days available for the Government to come up with an active approach in submitting this file, and there are still other elements related to the environment that haven't been approached yet. We have a constant dialogue with the Prime Minister."

Barna drew attention that the CCR decisions "tend to become increasingly surprising for Romania" and reiterated that early polls remain among USR's priorities, alongside the elimination of the special pensions and the election of mayors in two rounds.

"Our standpoint has been constant: we want special pensions to be eliminated, we will vote for any initiative in Parliament that will mean new steps taken in that direction. It's for the PM to decide how we are going to reach early polls and this is also another of the priorities listed in our political agreement. The instrument by which we can reach early polls is either a successful motion or resignation, which is a decision that he can make," added the USR leader.