Asked on Monday at a press conference in Targoviste if she would bow out of the presidential race in favor of current acting President Ilie Bolojan, Save Romania Union (USR) Chair Elena Lasconi replied that "everything is negotiable."
"Everything is negotiable. I would back Mr. Bolojan just as I backed him as prime minister. I think he would be better as prime minister. We'll see. I don't know, I would just like to let Mr. Ciolacu know that it would be advisable for him to collect signatures for Mr. Bolojan too, because it will be all going downhill for the ruling coalition's Crin Antonescu," said Elena Lasconi.
She specified that she spoke on the phone with Marcel Ciolacu on Sunday and will have an informal meeting with him on Thursday.
"(...) It's very clear to me that if he wants the best for Romania, he should perhaps consider collecting signatures for Mr. Bolojan as well, that would be an option too," Lasconi said, adding that Ciolacu is well aware that he is on the final lap "and that he is still in PSD's cards only for two months, because after the presidential ballot the USR intends anyway to file a no-confidence motion and bring this government down."
Asked what Marcel Ciolacu could offer her to persuade her to drop her presidential bid, Lasconi said that it depends on what will be negotiated.
"I am not interested in my personal gain, I am interested in Romania having something to gain and in making sure that this country will ot end up being led by brainless people or by a representative of the isolationists, particularly in the current geopolitical context, with the war in Ukraine, with the White House showdown and with everything that is happening in Europe," emphasized the USR leader.
Asked if she would give up her candidacy if Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu offered USR entry to government, Lasconi said: "For Crin Antonescu, never!"
"I could consider an offer for Bolojan, but I have stated that I would like someone I trust, because I know what they are capable of, and this is Maia Sandu. If the ruling coalition decided on this and she would agree - which I don't really think will happen, because she probably thinks this would render the Republic of Moldova vulnerable - so if the coalition agreed to support Maia Sandu I would gladly do this and I would try to also talk my colleagues into this," Lasconi stated.
In other remarks she said that "if you ask me, I think that Mr. Bolojan would be a better option than Crin Antonescu. I would never vote for a man who has done nothing in the last ten years and has lived off his wife's support. I would never vote for a man who was known as the work slacker during his time in Parliament. And I think that now, more than ever, the Romanians should look at the character of the candidates. (...) What are the facts that recommend him, his knowledge of foreign policy, his understanding, his courage to react in moments such as the Zelensky-Trump clash? I would like to see how he positions himself towards Ukraine, but honestly, I've only seen them wiggling out of situations," Elena Lasconi declared.
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