#2019PresidentialElection/ Mircea Diaconu says not vote-hungry, just speaking out on aspects that usually go unsaid

Independent presidential candidate Mircea Diaconu, who is backed by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), Pro Romania and the Neoliberal Party, said on Tuesday in Satu Mare that he "has no idea" what his chances of winning the presidency are and that he doesn't think about that, as his campaign focus is on explaining certain things to the Romanians. "I have no idea, and I'm not thinking about that. I am not intent on winning and landing the seat of president, I'm trying to explain this here too. My drive is to come out and say things that usually go unsaid. Nobody says that for 30 years now the presidential path has been absolutely wrong and unconstitutional. More than that, once in a while, a president would say 'the Constitution is ill-designed', while he is the guarantor of the Constitution and of the observance of the Constitution. Do you understand where we are standing? (...) If I am elected and if I become president, that's a consequence, not a target. This is what I am trying to explain wherever I go," Diaconu told a meeting with supporters in Satu Mare. He stressed that far from being vote-hungry, he wants to reinstate the true role of the president which is that of keeping balance. "All I'm trying to say is that the real path is different, it's the path of composure, of balance, of inter-party consultation, of collaboration, of peace, of mediation between people, between the citizen and the state. This is the way of the president, but in 30 years none of them has walked it," Diaconu said, noting that whereas all the holders of the top office in Romania have taken the other path, of slamming ministers or taking aim at governments, he wants to convince the citizens that the true way is different and that they should choose it if they want a change. Mircea Diaconu met with supporters in Satu Mare on Wednesday, answered questions, took photos with fans and gave autographs. AGERPRES (RO - author: Gheorghe Pietrar, editor: Marius Fratila; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)