PLUS's Ciolos on coalition with PNL: Negotiations to give a gov't of equal partners

PLUS (Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party) leader Dacian Ciolos on Thursday said that, in the event of a governing coalition with the Liberals, USR PLUS (Save Romania Union - PLUS) will be an "honest partner that will live up to its promises" and underscored that before any reforms there is need of a "general cleaning," meaning depoliticization. "USR PLUS is an honest partner that will keep its promises. I know there is speculation that we will be under pressure, that we are not used to high-level politics or I don't know what other fantastic hypothesis. But let's be clear, we do not want to repeat the CDR [Democratic Convention of Romania - editor's note] or the DA Alliance situations, and I hope that the PNL, which was part of both, will have the same attitude towards our future collaboration. We cannot guarantee what the PNL wants and will do, but we can guarantee for our behaviour," Ciolos wrote on his Facebook page. He mentioned that the negotiations will result in a government in which PNL and USR PLUS will be equal partners. "There will be negotiations, there will be conditions. I think that the PNL will also have its conditions, it's normal. The negotiations will result in a government in which we will be equal partners, who know how to respect each other, as decided by the electorate. We are not there to make secret agreements, we are there to do what the citizens ask of us," Ciolos said. According to him, however, depoliticization will be "a central, neuralgic point" and will not be subject to negotiation. "I don't think there is anything to negotiate in this regard. Romania has been paralyzed by the politicization of all institutions, which has led to endemic corruption and party switching. Before moving on to reforms, general cleaning must be done, which means depoliticization. I know the position of PNL on this subject, but I know our position too, and that of the citizens of Romania, as expressed in various ways, from sociological studies to protests in the street. As for the rest, I believe we can all wait ten more days until voting day and let the citizens decide what the future parliamentary majority will look like and around whom the new government will be formed," he concluded. AGERPRES (RO - author: Irinela Visan, editor: Antonia Nita, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)