On Monday, Senate Chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, head ofthe Liberal Reformist Party (PLR)and national leader of the People’s Movement Party (PMP) ElenaUdrea filed their candidacies for president in this November’s pollsat the Central Electoral Bureau(BEC). ‘Unfortunately, we were unable to use part of the (support)signatures, since they were collectedby the Liberal Reformist Party. The fficial registration of the party isstill being protracted in court andthat is why we were unable to usesome of the signatures. We submittedmore than 279,000 signaturestoday’, Tariceanu said at the Bureauheadquarters. According to him,Romania needs a country projectcapable of properly leading the country.Also on Monday, Elena Udreafiled her presidential bid accompanied by a list of endorsing signatures– over 400,000 of them,according to the politician. ‘Thething that’s waiting for me athome is the same that I work onthroughout the day, namely thecountry project. I am in no hurryto get home, because I am devotingmy time to this country and tothe project that means a wonderfulRomania. I promise to be atRomania’s service for ten years.Wonderful Romania means aRomania where people can find areason to smile on the streets. Iwould like to see peacefu lRomanians who are not bitter oroverwhelmed by the thought thattomorrow may be worse,’ Udreasaid at BEC.UDMR President KelemenHunor also submitted his candidacyin the presidential election toBEC on Monday, militating, on ceagain, for decentralization and for‘strong, very precisely definedregions, with very clear regionalidentities, and for strong communities’,according to Mediafax. ‘Iwant a respected Romania, astrong Romania, a country that should be respected in theE uropean Union and in thisregion. I believe that, at this point,we have all the instruments and allstrengths to become a powerfulcountry in this region and a countrythat will have a say in theEuropean Union’, said theUDMR leader. Asked whom hewould endorse in the runoff, heavoided a straight answer: ‘Let’sfocus on the first round. We haveall the time in the world to make adecision, if needed. Maybe itwon’t be needed’.Another candidate who submittedhis candidacy in the presidentialelection to BEC onMonday was the founding presidentof PP-DD, Dan Diaconescu.He said he had collected one million signatures. ‘Based on ourinformation, I am the only candidatein this presidential race whohas no connection with the intelligences ervices, be they Romanianor foreign ones. It is the first timethat regular Romanians have theirown candidate for president’,Diaconescu said.Prime Minister Victor Pontawas the first who filed his candidacyat the presidential elections atBEC last Wednesday. He was followedby MEP Monica Macoveion Sunday. She filed her presidentialbid with BEC as a non-affiliatedcandidate for this November’spresidential election.
