PNL's pick for PM Orban presents decision to support early elections requirements being met

After consultations on Thursday with President Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, national leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), freshly dismissed PM Ludovic Orban announced having presented to Iohannis the PNL decision to support the requirements for early elections being met. "Our pick for prime minister is in accordance with the decision of the National Council, and it is the party chairman, namely me, Ludovic Orban. I also presented to the President the decision of the National Liberal Party to support the conditions being met for early elections being triggered," Orban said. In his opinion, early elections are necessary to ensure a fair representation in Parliament of the current options of the voters. "Romania needs good governance, Romania needs a truly representative parliament, made up of honest, competent people, dedicated to serving the public interest, to truly represent the interests, objectives and aspirations of Romanian citizens. Romania needs a parliament to be an exact mirror of the current options of Romanian citizens and able to establish a stable majority, to support a government that will implement the measures of reform, modernisation, development of Romania at the fastest rate," said Orban. He added that he presented to Iohannis another decision made by the PNL National Council, that the PNL lawmakers should participate in the procedures for the voting in office of two governments, but not cast a vote in order to allow the dissolution of Parliament and early elections being triggered. "Starting next week, we will have a dialogue with all the partners that have been with us and who are still with us, to establish a common strategy for triggering early elections," said Orban. The dismissed prime minister said he was "very pleased" with the government team and said that he could continue "in the same formula" if he was appointed to form the new government. "On Monday, there will be a meeting of the Executive Bureau where we will make the decision related to the composition of the government, the government programme, but after we get the decision from the President of Romania." President Klaus Iohannis invited on Thursday at the Cotroceni Palace the leaders the parliamentary parties and formations for consultations in order to pick a candidate for the position of prime minister, as the Orban Government was dismissed on Wednesday on a censure motion. AGERPRES (RO - author: George Onea, editor: Catalin Alexandru; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)