PDL sets National Convention on March 23, with 5,000 delegates

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Monica Macovei joined the race for party presidency, to compete with Vasile Blaga and Elena Udrea.

Monica Macovei joins the race for PDL presidency PDL MEP Monica Macovei on Thursday announced her candidacy for president of the party. She told a press conference held together with Cristian Preda, Sever Voinescu, Theodor Baconschi and Adrian Papahagi, that the motion they were submitting together was called ‘The Reformists’.

The atmosphere during the two PDL meetings was quite tensed amidst conflicts between the two candidates for president of the party, Vasile Blaga and Elena Udrea, with President Traian Basescu also stepping in to help the latter. The PDL Steering College meeting set the election of the party leaders for March 23, at Romexpo. A total of 5,000 delegates will attend, Elena Udrea’s proposal (one of the candidates for president of PDL -a/n) to invite 10,000 being rejected. ‘Let us be logical. Think what two-round election would mean with 10,000 delegates. Conventions would normally bring together 1,000 delegates, we have already leaped to 5,000’, current leader Vasile Blaga said, according to Mediafax. He also said there would be 612 members automatically designated to participate, plus 4,382 delegates. Prior to the decision, Blaga had said there was no facility in Bucharest big enough to seat 10,000 delegates for the PDL Convention. The setting up of the commission tasked with the preparation of internal elections, including Sulfina Barbu, Alin Popoviciu, Alin Tise, Traian Igas, Ion Balan, Mircea Toader, Costica Canacheu, Marian Zlotea and Bogdan Cantaragiu, also stirred a bit of a controversy, Udrea complaining about the fact that it was completely made up of Blaga’s supporters. She said the commission consisted of nine colleagues proposed in the Steering College by Gheorghe Flutur and that Gheorghe Stefan’s proposal to have representatives from nine organisations with the highest electoral scores was much better.  ‘The commission has been proposed by Vasile Blaga’s supporters and is totally made up of Mr. Blaga’s supporters,’ Udrea said.In his turn, PDL Neamt leader Gheorghe Stefan denounced the rejection of his proposal that nine efficient organisations designated their members on the commission. ‘Why this insistence to have these none people (proposed by the Steering College – a/n) and not to allow nine efficient organisations we don’t know yet to propose other nine. We have a suspicion about this, but if this is what you want, you can have it your way then,’ Stefan said.The National Steering College (CNC) also approved the commission tasked with changing the PDL Statute, including seven members.

We should not use our resources to stab each other in the back, USL is the enemy, Blaga says

In his Saturday speech at CNC, Vasile Blaga said lies had been said in the public space, some having declared the party dead, others say he had contributed to the fall of the Ungureanu Cabinet or to the weakening of the Boc Government. Blaga pointed out that PDL people should not stab each other in the back like that. ‘When you say the party is dead, what else is there to be said?’ the Democrat Liberal noted. He reminded his colleagues in PDL that, after May National Convention, it was not he, but the members of the Boc Government (hint at Udrea – a/n) were on TV claiming they needed a technocrat premier. Blaga also added that, for two weeks, ‘some younger colleagues’ had been trying to separate the Democrat Liberals into FSN people and right-wing people. ‘Where were they – because they are approximately my age – when most of us wanted to break away with Ion Iliescu. What was Ion Iliescu in 1991-1992? He had he state on his side (…), but we didn’t give up, we moved on our separate way.’ On a distinct note, Blaga calls for party unity. ‘Our opponents are not in his room. They are in USL and that’s why attacks should focus on USL,’ he concluded. On the other hand, Elena Udrea said the time when PDL was led with an iron fist was gone and that the party needed a more democratic leadership style, able to boost it and give it confidence. Prime Vice President Cezar Preda however told Udrea ‘parties are not to be led by the first hitting the table, but also not with the money on the table, parties are to be led fairly and in a team.’ Udrea’s answer came promptly: ‘This is a very ugly thing to say. I am asking him to tell us where he has seen money on the table in this party. On the contrary, I understand we still have debts.’