The Social Liberal Union brought some 80,000 people on the National Arena, proving strength and massiveness. Ponta, Antonescu and PES leader Stanishev lashed out at Basescu Traian, saying he is the last standing Communist leader in the EU.
USL launched its parliamentary election candidates on the National Arena on Wednesday, in the presence of its four leaders. It was an event of big proportion, the organisers bringing to the rally some 80,000 sympathisers. The participates were waving flags and chanting USL support slogans. Starting with Victor Ponta, who will run in the same Gorj electoral district as back in 2008, 17 of the 21 members of the Cabinet will also stand for election in the parliamentary election on December 9. USL leaders arrived to the stadium in the course of the afternoon, giving statements to the press or chatting with their colleagues. By the time the event started, the National Arena had become full of USL sympathisers which showed the Union’s capacity to organise an event of such scale and send out, as PNL leader Crin Antonescu was noting, an image of force. In his speech during the USL candidate launching event, PSD President Victor Ponta said Romanians wanted to behave like European citizens equal to all other because they had gained that right. In the name of USL, the Government and Parliament, he also noted that Romanians were Europeans because they had gained the right to be. ‘We are Europeans, we gained that right, we want to behave like European citizens, equal to all other. I want to believe that no one in Romania will ever ay that we are second class citizens, that we must be punished and held liable from abroad. I’m saying this for our European colleagues. Be convinced that they will respect us and treat us with respect if we think like that about ourselves’, Ponta said. Ponta also said Traian Basescu was the last communist and former Securitate person left in Europe and pointed out that USL must change not only the president in office, but also his entire system. He said 2012 was the year of the big change and noted Romania should move on rather than travel back in time.
Ponta: USL had to carry out the change.
‘Carrying out the change means Crin Antonescu at Cotroceni. We started together down this road. We are not abandoning this journey. I keep my word. Basescu Traian and the people of PDL either have not understood or refuse to understand the message they received from Romanians given in January and in July, at the referendum. On December 9 we can prove once and for all that Romania is no longer Basescu and PDL’s country. On December 9 we will embark on a new journey together’, Ponta said. At the same time, the premier asked Romanians not to grant forgiveness and immunity to those who have wronged them, namely not to allow people such as Traian Igas, Roberta Anastase and Elena Udrea to be in the new Parliament. He showed that those who have derided Romanians deserved to pay and appear in court rather than Parliament.
Antonescu: In Europe, without your people by your side, you are nothing or just a servant
PNL President Crin Antonescu gave a speech on the National Arena Wednesday evening. He said Romanians did not have a president and that, ‘in Europe, without your people by your side, you are nothing or just a servant.’ ‘Europe will never belong just to transient officials or to a single political family. (…) It is not true that Traian Basescu and PD are sitting at the Parliament Palace together with Europe, because, if we agree that the Romanian people is symbolically here, you cannot be in Europe without your people. In Europe, without your people by your side, you are nothing or just a servant’, Antonescu said, referring to the EPP Congress in Bucharest.‘The European People’s Party are now at Cotroceni with their president, we are here with our people, without its president. Tonight, we are here together with the millions of Romanians who stand by our side and who support our aspirations, with our Government, with our locally elected officials and with our project for Romania’, Crin Antonescu also said. He further noted in his address that Romania should have the ‘right to vote in Europe and not just the right to listen’, because Romania is part of Europe. ‘We, who run and who will run Romania in the name of the Romanian people and for the Romanian people will be the partners and not the servants of the European institutions. (…) We can stand in front of anyone in Europe as partners, not as servants’, the PNL president also said. Antonescu also pointed out that the USL rally was a demonstration of force because the leaders who wanted to lead Romania need to demonstrate that they are strong. On the other hand, the PNL leader said the participants in the EPP meeting on Wednesday had discussed the federalisation of Romania, without any PDL leader taking a stance on the matter.
Stanishev: Current Romanian president belongs in the past
PES (Party of European Socialists) President Sergei Stanishev said at the USL rally Wednesday night that the serving president of Romania belonged in the past. He reminded of the over 7 M votes in favour of dismissing Basescu in the referendum. ‘The president of Romania belongs in the past. This spring, seven million people told him to go’, Stanishev said. In what regards the EPP Congress in Bucharest, the leader of the European Socialists noted that the European People’s Party officials were scared. ‘They believe they are very, very important. They show courage, but, in reality, are very, very scared and have panicked. Deep down, they know that this policy of austerity that hurts the average European is coming to an end. Their Europe is not our Europe. (…) The change for which you are fighting here is the change Europe needs’, PES leader further noted.
