USR PLUS Alliance sets conditions to grant new Gov't investiture vote

The USR PLUS Alliance reiterates the possibility of granting the investiture vote to a transitional minority government, but "only with the fulfillment of certain conditions", noting "the lack of political will to swiftly set off early elections". According to a press release from USR PLUS for AGERPRES, the fulfillment of these conditions, until the investiture vote, would constitute "minimum proof of good faith regarding Romania's direction in the next period". "I kept hoping until the last moment that Mr. President Iohannis will understand how important it is for the PSD not to get another chance, obtaining the respite to recover. We hoped that we will quickly mobilize to trigger early elections, so that we can make the deep reforms Romania needs, and not to repeat the scenario in 2016, and the PSD not to return to government for 10 years from now. Mr. President has decided otherwise. Therefore, we reaffirm our intention to vote for a transitional government provided some clear conditions are fulfilled, starting with the election of mayors in two rounds," said Dan Barna, as quoted in the release. The USR leader calls on President Iohannis and Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban, on behalf of the formation he leads, to include the conditions of USR PLUS in the process of forming the majority necessary for the government investiture. "Otherwise, the USR will not cast its vote in Parliament. All our conditions can be fulfilled by Parliament in a working day. If there is a majority, then these projects will pass. If they do not exist, then the Orban government will always be the prisoner to the PSD parties in Parliament. A government prisoner of the PSD will be no better or more useful to the people than an official PSD cabinet," Barna explained. The quoted source adds that the legislative package required by the USR must aim at the following changes: the adoption of the law on the election of mayors in two rounds - essential for the legitimacy of locally elected officials and the recovery of democracy at local level; adopting the initiative "No convicts in public positions" for which over one million Romanians signed; the abolition by law of the compensatory appeal that released from prison more than 20,000 criminals, many of whom committed new acts of violence; Parliament's consultation on the proposal for the position of European Commissioner for Romania. "The other objectives related to the content of the new Government's mandate will be discussed with the prime minister-designate. Also, in order for the USR MPs to vote for the transitional government, the government team should not include persons without training, persons with problems of integrity or supporters of the former USL [former political alliance Social Liberal Union]. Romania needs real and profound reforms, not just mimicking them and changing some local barons with other local barons," the USR PLUS release also reads. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi, editor: Simona Iacob)