The leading body of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Permanent Bureau, voted unanimously on March 2 to prolong the mandate regarding the internal consultation on the option to condition the party’s stay in the ruling coalition on one or two requests, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro. 

The consultation focuses on two issues considered essential by the PSD even now, in the current geopolitical context:

• Will the party remain in power during Ilie Bolojan's term as prime minister?
• Will PSD remain in government if USR is not eliminated?

Sorin Grindeanu, the party's president, is the one who proposed this prolongation of the consultations, as he announced last week. PSD has floated the idea of pulling out of the ruling coalition last year, and has constantly warned this would be an option, criticising Liberal prime minister Ilie Bolojan of authoritarianism and bias in favour of Save Romania Union (USR) policies.

Grindeanu explained that "the [ruling coalition’s] protocol can remain the same, but with a different prime minister from the PNL", arguing that the coalition is hardly functional in its current formula.

He has not provided details under the mechanisms, in the protocol, that would allow PSD to throw out of the coalition one of its members, or to overthrow the prime minister under the unilateral decision of the Social Democrats. The questions suggest PSD would pull out of the ruling coalition and denounce the protocol if a majority of its members opts for one of the two alternatives proposed in the referendum, which is visibly not supported by the other partners in the coalition.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Cateyeperspective/Dreamstime.com)