USR to firmly endorse early elections in talks with President Iohannis

The Save Romania Union (USR) will attend a new round of talks with President Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Tuesday with a "clear" mandate in favour of a timetable for early elections, USR said in a press statement on Monday. "USR leaders had a discussion on Monday evening to determine the party's actions moving forward, in the wake of the successful censure motion against the Dancila government, and decided to continue to endorse early elections as soon as possible. The party leaders argued that USR should not join the government without early elections that will provide a new majority in Parliament and a clear mandate to the reformist forces," the statement reads. According to USR national leader Dan Barna, the position of USR joining the government after an early or on schedule general election remains "a firm one." "USR and the USR PLUS Alliance have consistently said that we will join the government only after early or on schedule general election, and the position remains firm: in the current political context any government formula would be unstable, unable to make the necessary reforms and would depend on the Social Democratic Party (PSD) - in any of its parliamentary forms - which will become the arbiter of any strategy," Barna is quoted as explaining in the statement. USR MPs "could consider voting to inaugurate a caretaker cabinet that will have a limited tenure for the preparation of elections, contingent on the existence of certain conditions that demonstrate the will of a parliamentary majority for reforms," namely the adoption of a law for two-round mayoral elections - "essential for the legitimacy of local elected officials and the recovery of democracy at local level"; adopting the 'No Convict in Public Offices' initiative; repealing the law of compensatory appeal that released from prison more than 20,000 criminals, many of whom committed new acts of violence; Parliament's consultation on Romania's pick for European commissioner. "All the above conditions must be met before the inauguration vote - in fact, they can be fulfilled in a single working day in Parliament, because all these projects are now stuck in Parliament. To the four conditions it should be added the proviso that all members of government must comply with integrity criteria put forth by USR," the statement also says. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)