Orban worried about protests against PNL getting louder

National leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), major at rule, Ludovic Orban, said on Sunday that he is worried about a possible intensification of protests against the liberals, amidst an ongoing political and governmental crisis. "I am extremely worried that there is great dissatisfaction. I am convinced that people are expecting from us what we have promised them: four years of political peace, four years of honest and efficient government to the benefit of the citizens. They do not want quarrels, scandals, conflicts, crises inside the ruling coalition, as they are expecting us to focus on putting into practice the good things we have done for the people," said Orban when asked if he was concerned about the intensification of public protests. He called for dialogue and negotiations in order to keep together the ruling coalition made up of PNL, the Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party ( USR PLUS) alliance, and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR). "My point of view as national leader of the National Liberal Party, which I have expressed publicly, is that the only coalition that can ensure a government to the benefit of Romania is the coalition made up of PNL, USR PLUS and UDMR, obviously with backing from the group of national minority MPs in the Chamber of Deputies. Any other form of coalition does not have the capacity to govern unitarily, to make the necessary reforms for Romania, to ensure development projects that are funded either by European funds or the national budget, and especially to increase the quality of life and to increase the income of the citizens. (...) We must sit at the table of dialogue, at the negotiating table, to find those matters that bring us closer, to remove what separates us, to regain confidence among the partners and to focus on what the Romanians are expecting from us: a successful government to the benefit of the citizens," said Orban. He added that he did not cause the current political crisis. "This political and governmental crisis has been caused by decisions that were not mine and that were taken without my agreement, without my consent, even without my prior, correct information, as it should have been. As president of PNL, I have done everything possible to ensure the cohesion of the coalition, to hold the party and the coalition together, and I never agreed with decisions that would jeopardise the normal functioning of the governing coalition," said Orban. He voiced hope that on Monday at noon there will be a quorum to carry out the procedures regarding the schedule of the motion of censure against his challenger, Prime Minister FlorinCitu. "The standing bureaus are called to convene on Monday, at 12:00hrs. Two successive convocations made in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, with the rules for joint meetings, have failed to mount the necessary quorum. (...) I hope that on Monday, at 12:00hrs, we will have the quorum to carry out the constitutional and legal procedures regarding the schedule for the motion of censure," said Orban. The PNL leader added that the parliamentary forces currently against the government "clearly have a majority." "Now there is competition between motions of censure. Unfortunately, we have reached a situation in which the government today is threatened by motions of censure, and the parliamentary forces that are against the government clearly have a majority," said Orban. Orban unveiled his motion for reelection on Sunday in Sibiu in the presence of less than a hundred liberals. The meeting took place behind closed doors, as Chair of the PNL Sibiu County chapter Raluca Turcan told the journalists attending the event they were not allowed in the room. Among the local PNL officials taking part in the presentation and debate of Orban's leadership motion hosted by the ASTRA Library in Sibiu were Turcan; leader of the PNL Sibiu City chapter Violeta Alexandru; Sibiu County Public Administrator Adrian Bibu; Senate Deputy Chair Nicolae Neagu, and Sibiu County Prefect Mircea Dorin Cretu. Turcan announced at the beginning of the meeting that Orban's challenger, Prime Minister Florin Citu, will unveil his motion for PNL national leadership also in Sibiu. AGERPRES. (RO - author:Isabela Paulescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)