There were no new developments yesterday in the negotiations in which PSD and PNL are involved over the issue of the local elections candidacies of the Social-Liberal Union (USL) in Bucharest, or at least USL leaders Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu did not want to disclose them. USL leaders met yesterday in order to decide the final list of candidates in Bucharest, Social-Democrat sources quoted by hotnews.ro stating that PSD would be willing to give up its candidate in District 6 in favour of the Liberals in order to avoid separate candidacies. “We are willing to reach any kind of compromise in order for USL to win Bucharest too, just as it will win the whole country. PSD is always willing to give in, in order for things to be good for USL, on condition they would be good for USL. PSD is much wiser even than I am,” Ponta stated for Mediafax. “That’s right. I confirm. PSD is a very wise party and has a very wise leader despite his young age,” Antonescu added. In what concerns the stage of the negotiations, Ponta stated: “We will let you know, they are developing well.” Antonescu stated: “We are continuing to discuss. Don’t worry, we will find the best solutions for USL.” On Sunday, the PNL President pointed out on Realitatea TV that PNL will not give up the candidacy of Rares Manescu in District 6, underlining that the Social-Democrats will nominate the candidate in District 2, in line with the negotiated algorithm. “We have District 1, 6 and 4, where Mr. Piedone is a member of the Centre-Right Alliance. Hence, District 2, 3 and 5 belong to PSD,” the PNL leader added. Antonescu recently threatened that in case the parties making up USL fail to reach an agreement on candidacies in Bucharest each of them will run on separate lists in Bucharest. According to the initial agreement, PSD would have nominated USL candidates in District 3, 5 and 6, while the Liberals and Conservatives would have nominated them in District 1, 2 and 4. Cristian Piedone’s defection spoiled the arrangement, the Liberals consequently asking for the right to nominate the candidate in District 6. Cristian Piedone’s return to the Conservative Party created even more confusion, leading to a dispute over District 6. The USL leaders upped the stakes for District 6, being of the opinion that they have real chances of victory. On Sunday, while PDL Bucharest was launching a paper recycling campaign in a District 6 park, Democrat-Liberals Elena Udrea and Silviu Prigoana were jeered. In reply, PDL Bucharest accused USL’s potential candidates in District 6 of paying their sympathizers to jeer the Democrat-Liberal leaders.
Udrea proposes analysis at PDL leadership level
PDL Vice President Elena Udrea pointed out yesterday that after November’s elections an analysis would have to target the entire PDL leadership and all those that play a role in elections campaigns. Meanwhile, the Democrat-Liberals have postponed for the second time the official launch of their local elections candidates for May 6. The event should have taken place on April 28.
Control Body officers to monitor elections
Internal Affairs Minister Gabriel Berca charged yesterday that there are mayors that are organizing all kinds of events outside the legal framework and that exert pressures on state institutions, asking prefects and police officers to enforce the law irrespective of who the mayors are. Berca also asked the prefects, police officers and gendarmes to show “zero tolerance” for any event that could put in doubt the fairness of the June 10 local elections. At the same time, the Minister announced that in the following period he will organize a public information campaign on illegal voting, a campaign dubbed “Bribery and illegal voting means jail.” “Through these measures we are trying to deter possible illegal voting attempts. These measures give people confidence that June 10 will be a fair day from all points of view.” At the same time, the Minister announced that Control Body officers will be dispatched to voting centres in Bucharest and in the Cluj, Mehedinti, Brasov and Buzau Counties in order to offer support in solving complaints on elections day.
Collecting signaturesSorin Oprescu and Silviu Prigoana (PDL), the main candidates for the Bucharest City Hall, were sarcastic when it came to their efforts to collect signatures in favor of their candidacies. After Prigoana stated on Sunday that he does not want to run alone in the local elections in Bucharest, and that is why he signed in favor of Sorin Oprescu’s candidacy, current Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu stated on Realitatea TV that he will sign in favor of Prigoana’s candidacy too.
PM Ungureanu, campaign threatsPSD MP Adrian Solomon publicly informed Premier Ungureanu that if he has the “audacity” to go through Barlad without stopping over at the City Hall in order to find out “what ails the people of Barlad” he will have the fate of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who was kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigades in 1978. The Social-Democrat later stated that the journalists misunderstood him.
