PDL presidency: After Macovei, will Falca join the race?

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Sources from within PDL claim that the mayor of Arad, Gheorghe Falca tests the support he could enjoy in the party in order to file a motion for the position of party president. The real reason for the candidacy of President Basescu’s godson actually relates to lowering support for Blaga, add the sources.
The fight for the position of PDL president will apparently be fierce, with the three candidates that already joined the race (Vasile Blaga, Elena Udrea and Monica Macovei) lashing at each other through the press. The acting PDL president Vasile Blaga said yesterday that he hails the motion of MEP Monica Macovei named “The reformists,” but advised her to “be more careful with words,” an allusion to the statement made by MEP Cristian Preda (a supporter of Macovei) who said Sunday, when she launched her motion, that PDL is divided in reformists and FSN people.
“Reformists, FSN people, Mr. Preda was a party member before ’89 and I think Ms. Macovei could not have been prosecutor without also being a party member. Those people of FSN sent them in the European Parliament, (…), supported them as ministers, when they were not even members of the party,” Blaga said, quoted by Mediafax, before the weekly meeting of the Permanent National Bureau (BPN) of the party.
Asked to comment the statements of a former Minister of Justice about the fact that she would “exorcise the FSN spirit from PDL” if she wins the elections, the leader of PDL answered: “I am not skilled at it, I am no priest, (…), I am not skilled at witchcraft, ask her.” He also criticised the statements made by the group of “reformists” in the party (Monica Macovei, Cristian Preda, Sever Voinescu, Teodor Baconschi) about the fact that they want to “fight” the Socialist left. “Who stopped them? We just had a battle two months ago (the parliamentary elections) which we unfortunately lost. I did not see them in the country, neither her (Macovei) nor Mr. Preda. It is easy to talk from Brussels, the battle was fought in all the villages and communes of Romania,” Blaga mentioned. Moreover, he explained that he does not know if they will remain in the party if they fail to win the elections during the National Convention of March.
On the other hand, Blaga said that he believes there will also be a fourth motion in PDL for the office of party president. “I am not the spy of this party. The colleagues are talking, we might have another motion too,” Blaga stated.
Later, PDL sources quoted by Hotnews.ro said that the mayor of Arad, Gheorghe Falca is testing the support in the party to submit a motion for the presidency of PDL. “Phone calls are made for the support of a fourth candidacy. (…) The real motive behind the candidacy of Falca is actually related to splitting the support for Blaga. Falca hopes to take votes from Blaga in the region of Banat,” the Democrat-Liberal sources explained. Gheorghe Falca is perceived as close to President Basescu, who is his godfather.
According to the PDL Statute, the candidates for the position of party president must submit a motion with at least 35 signatures and the support of 10 party branches.
Meanwhile, opinions inside PDL are split. The PDL secretary general, Suceava senator Gheorghe Flutur, considers that the present competition for the top position must not be about “who has a louder voice, but who criticises with strong and credible arguments.”
“I lived this movie in 2000-2004 when together with Theodor Stolojan. I travelled thousands of kilometres to consolidate a party. I am capable of resetting the mileage and start the reconstruction of PDL from ground level, besides pragmatic and sympathetic people, who trust each other,” Flutur said. On the other side, the PDL deputy of Iasi, Petru Movila, believes that Blaga, Udrea and Macovei should be together in the next leadership of the party.
In his turn, the PSD president commented yesterday the battle for the top position in PDL, ironically saying that he finds it hard to choose between the three candidates. “I will wish luck to all three candidates for PDL leader; I think that they are all very good for us, I cannot but wish them luck and I find it hard to choose any of them,” Ponta said. He added that the Social-Democrats should concentrate on their own party, their structure and the idea announced long ago that governance should not be mistaken for the party.