Orban: PNL on downward trend, at 20-22 pct, started with PM Citu entering into internal race

The president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban says, in northwestern Oradea, that at present the PNL is on a downward trend, somewhere between 20-22 pct, which started once the Prime minister Florin Citu entered the race for the party's chairmanship. Orban was asked what led to the PNL's decline in the opinion polls in the last period, the internal struggle in the party or the fact that the current governing coalition did not "deliver" as much as it promised in the election campaign. "You are well aware that, in the first eight months of government, any coalition that is formed when there is a coalition government, obviously does not start with all the engines kicked off, it is necessary to harmonize, a mutual knowledge, a permanent negotiation, and because of this arise situations in which there is no full understanding and not all the objectives of the government program that was originally thought are put into practice. As far as I am concerned, I have announced, once with the submission of my candidacy and with the beginning of the official campaign for the presentation of my political program in front of the branches, that I wish that, with the beginning of this campaign, the recredibilization of the PNL will begin, and all the messages I send, all my points of view that I send are constructive messages, positive messages, which have the gift of showing the Romanians that we are serious, that we are concerned to ensure a performing government (...) and that regardless of the outcome of the internal competition, PNL honors its commitments to the Romanian citizens," Ludovic Orban said on Sunday, at the end of the PNL Bihor Steering Board, where he participated to present his Motion "PNL - The Force of the Right". He rejected the option for the PNL to be at the moment at 16 pct in the electorate's preferences, stressing that there is a downward trend, but in the opinion polls the party is at 20-22 pct. "It's not true, we have sociological research. What is interesting is that, until prime minister Citu entered the competition, PNL was registering a stable confidence and intention to vote, around 26-27 pct and, indeed, there is a downward trend, we do not have the score of 16-18 pct, it's around 20-22 pct, it's true, but we have entered the downward trend. (...) It breaks my heart that (...) we are facing such a phenomenon that I consider temporary and I am convinced that we will overcome this period. After all, people expect us to focus on good governance, to have results, which means, in fact, increasing the incomes of citizens, increasing the quality of life, increasing the quality of public services, achieving infrastructure objectives and achieving the main reforms that we have committed ourselves to carrying out," Orban said. When asked what conditions should be met in order to reverse the PNL's involution in the polls, the Liberal leader replied: "Stop the mutual attacks. " "Unfortunately, some of my colleagues, who worked with me to get the results in the period 2017-2020, believe that I can do good to Florin Citu if they kick me all day. Here you have to prove that you are better, on 25 September it is a competition for the position of president of the party, at the congress the president of the party is elected, the rest of the team is elected to a National Council that will be convened later. It does not help Florin Citu at all that some of his camp and even Florin Citu sometimes criticize me and attack me very often unfairly. Here you have to prove that you are better, that you have more experience, that you are better prepared, that you are more correctly prepared, that you are more hardworking, that you have vision, that you have objectives, (...) that you have the capacity to lead, to ensure a very serious management for the party so that you can achieve its objectives," Ludovic Orban stressed. He added that as far as he is concerned, once the campaign in the party began, he will refer to what he thinks should be done in the PNL and as little as possible to his opponent.AGERPRES(RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: George Onea; EN - editor: Maria Voican)