Eight presidential advisors, including Lazaroiu and Funeriu, released from office, expected to run for European elections on behalf of PMP, officialy registered as a political party.
President Traian Basescu on Tuesday signed several decrees and decisions for the discharge from office, effective as of February 1, of eight presidential and state advisors, including Sebastian Lazaroiu, Daniel Funeriu, Gabriel Berca and Adrian Radulescu. According to a release of the Presidential Administration, Basescu signed the decrees for the discharge of presidential advisors Gabriel Berca, Adrian Radulescu, Sebastian Lazaroiu, Virgil Paunescu, Daniel Funeriu. The President also signed the decisions for the release of state advisors: Maria Bitang, Raluca Boboc and Daniel-Andrei Moldoveanu.
According to sources, some of the presidential advisors are about to enter the race for the European elections on the lists of the party People’s Movement (PMP), once it is registered as a party. The Bucharest Court of Appeals on Wednesday decided that PMP will be registered as a political party, thus denying the appeal against the registering made by other political parties. According to the Movement’s President, Eugen Tomac, “the date of January 29, 2014 will be considered PMP’s birthday”. The People’s Movement was created by President Traian Basescu and was registered by his eldest daughter, Ioana.
Daniel Funeriu, former minister of Education in the Boc government, later taken by Basescu at Cotroceni, was the first who confirmed the intention to join PMP. “I had an extraordinary time in the administration, both as a minister and at Cotroceni, with Traian Basescu, during the key moments of 2012 and 2013. In the future, I will join the People’s Movement Party in order to grow it and make it strong,” Daniel Funeriu wrote on his Facebook page, adding that he wants to represent PMP in the European Parliament. “I invite those who believe in a modern and proud Romania to join us. This is the way,” Funeriu added.
Until now, the Presidential Administration had 11 presidential advisors and 12 state counselors. The presidential advisors that remain at Cotroceni are Cristian Diaconescu (President’s Chancellery), Iulian Fota (Department of National Security), Iulian Chifu (Department of Strategic Affairs and International Security), Claudiu Constantin Dinu (Constitutional Legislative Department), Bogdan-Alexandru Dragoi (Department for the Business Environment), Bogdan Manoiu (Department of European Affairs) along with nine state counselors.
Gabriel Berca was presidential advisor on public order and administration with the Department for the Relations with Public Authorities and Civil Society, since March 2013. Previously, Gabriel Berca had been minister of Interior in the Ungureanu Cabinet. Adrian Radulescu was presidential advisor with the Department of Public and Social Policies. Radulescu was state secretary with the Ministry of Agriculture, in the Boc Cabinet.
Sebastian Lazaroiu was presidential advisor with the Department of Political Analysis. Lazaroiu became presidential advisor in June 2012, after having occupied this office in 2007. Since June 2011, he also was minister of Labour, but was revoked on September 16 the same year, when the president signed a decision with this regard. A former minister of Education in the Boc Government, Daniel Funeriu was presidential advisor with the Department of Education and Research.
Gusa: The depoliticisation of the Presidential Administration announces a much more active Basescu
Former presidential advisor Cosmin Gusa believes that the departure of the 8 from Cotroceni has a particular signification: “It is the first sophisticated political movement of the 2014 season which actually announces how complicate this period will be for party pseudo-analysts, as they are probably unprepared for it. If we speak about significations, there are at least three of them in such kind of unprecedented move. One of reinforcing the possible future People’s Movement Party, which awaits being baptised by justice and receiving its ID card, so it can circulate normally in an electoral year, especially in the elections for the European Parliament. He second signification, a dark one for PDL which fares very poorly of late and, if part of the Cotroceni aides will join the ranks of PMP, this will obviously represent a major loss for PDL, almost frozen now. And three, the depoliticisation of the Presidential Administration which announces a much more active Traian Basescu,” Cozmin Gusa said on Realitatea TV.
