PSD's CExN Codrin Stefanescu: 55 CExN members voted for Liviu Dragnea, 8 against

Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea has received a confidence vote from 55 members of the National Executive Committee (CExN) while 8 voted against, PSD Deputy Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu announced on Friday evening.

He stated that 64 members of PSD's CExN were present of the total of 65 - the Defence Minister being out of the country.

"There were 8 votes against Liviu Dragnea, one abstention and 55 in favour. This was today's vote," Stefanescu specified at the end of PSD's CExN meeting.

According to him, an official record was drafted in this regard by PSD's technical secretariat, the votes being open.

Stefanescu mentioned that two of the Social-Democrats left during the meeting with reason, handing over their mandate, namely the mayor of Bucharest District 4 and the executive president of Bucharest District 1.

"Of the members who voted in support of Liviu Dragnea, almost all had mandate on behalf of the organisations. (...) The mandates were put on the table and each of those who voted for Liviu Dragnea was backed by the entire organisation. In the end, the mayor of Bucharest District 5, Daniel Florea suggested a resolution, voted in the organisation's Executive Committee he represents, regarding the ousting from PSD of Mrs. Gabriela Firea [General mayor of Bucharest, e.n.] for the statements she has consecutively made for 11 days and which have immensely damaged the party's image - a thing that we had also discussed among ourselves. Certainly, many of the colleagues requested a vote in this regard and it goes without saying what the vote would have been like under these circumstances. But Liviu Dragnea, the party's leader, called for calm and cooperation, said that in his quality of chairman, he can ask us again to have confidence and not to put it to a vote. This is what happened, 'the dictator' Liviu Dragnea overriding the intention to also vote on this matter. He closed it," Stefanescu explained.

He added that another PSD CExN meeting will most likely take place in the upcoming period.

"Some very interesting proposals were presented here, including that we should assume political responsibility for certain matters. We agreed on many of the points, both I and my colleagues would have liked to leave here with consensus. That was not possible, there was a democratic vote, this is the result," the PSD Deputy Secretary General mentioned. AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author/editor: Simona Iacob)