The Democrat-Liberal’s purpose is to create a centre-right alliance as an alternative to USL. PNTCD, PNG, the Ecologist Party and UNPR could be part of this structure.
The Democrat-Liberals are increasingly mulling the creation of a centre-right movement as an alternative to USL. In what concerns the moment in which the Popular Movement should come into being, opinions differ within PDL: some, such as PDL First Vice-President Teodor Baconschi, claim it is necessary to set it up after this year’s elections, while others claim that it should be created before the elections, as an electoral alliance. PDL MP Cezar Preda (photo) is of that opinion, stating yesterday that the Popular Movement should include PNTCD, PNG, PDL and the Ecologist Party. “An electoral alliance is absolutely compulsory when you face a political alliance (USL – editor’s note), but we’re still in the stage of groping. Let’s create this Popular Movement and get on with it because we have 90 days before elections,” Preda stated for Mediafax. In his opinion, PDL “is now paying for the errors made during last year’s party congress when we should have fallen in line with the EPP in what concerns its party symbols.” Also yesterday, PDL MEP Traian Ungureanu said that PM Razvan Mihai Ungureanu should be included in the new right construction. “He is a good intellectual, I would say a political and personal value, so he cannot be outside the discussion about the rebranding of the right political forces”, he said. Yet, sociologist Vasile Dancu said for RFI that PM Ungureanu would lose popularity if he got closer to PDL.Mircea Toader, the leader of PDL MPs within the Lower Chamber, stated in his turn that the Popular Movement should be created before local elections. On the other hand, Toader stated he does not know yet what parties PDL will form alliances with, nor whether this alliance will be at national or just county level. “The decision hasn’t been taken,” he added. “Those that favour centre-right policies have to start discussing and should be brought in this movement and I wouldn’t rule out the civil society, the NGOs that support centre-right values,” Sulfina Barbu, President of PDL’s Women’s Organization, stated. Asked what party symbols the movement might have, the former Labour Minister pointed out that these are the kind of things to be settled “with partners, at the negotiations table.” “I believe we have sufficient options, (…) the symbols of European people’s parties should be the starting point.”PDL MP Raluca Turcan stated that from what she knows the PDL leadership is currently preoccupied with finding the best formula for this new centre-right political structure. “The visual identity of this political structure should fulfill two important conditions: the PDL members and sympathizers should identify with it, and it should be attractive for public opinion,” Turcan stated.Speaker of the Lower Chamber Roberta Anastase was somewhat more cautious, stating that the Popular Movement will come to be “sooner or later,” being a necessity on the political spectrum, pointing out that it will be “an alternative to USL.” Nevertheless, she stated that it is premature to speak about its party symbols. PDL Vice-President Teodor Paleologu was sceptical, using a La Rochefoucauld quote when referring to the Popular Movement: “True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.” “We are waiting at the bottom of the mountain for the great initiates to come down with the tablets of stone,” Paleologu added. PDL First Vice-President Sorin Frunzaverde stated the day before for ‘Gandul’ daily that “the Popular Movement will become a reality in March, as an electoral alliance.” According to Democrat-Liberal sources, PNTCD, the Ecologist Party and UNPR could be part of the future alliance, its party symbols set to consist of a heart on a green or blue background. PNTCD leader Aurelian Pavelescu admits that he had talks with the Democrat-Liberals, but the negotiations have not ended. “A merger is out of the question, we’re talking about an electoral alliance, possibly a political alliance,” Pavelescu stated for ‘Gandul’ daily. In retort to PDL’s intentions, PSD Vice-President Titus Corlatean stated yesterday that PDL will not manage to hide the reality of a profoundly corrupt party by resorting to rebranding, but that by replacing its symbols it will give up the rose it had held captive.
