Romania’s former technocrat PM doesn’t plan to create new political party

Romania’s former technocrat Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Tuesday that he doesn’t plan to create a new political party, as this would only fracture even more the local political scene. He made the statement at the headquarters of the Group for Social Dialogue (GDS), which offered him the 2016 GDS award. “I feel honored because, as you say, we share many of the values we have tried to promote during this period at the Government, and I believe that, beyond any measures of reform that were taken or could have been taken, the most important thing in the activity of the Government I led was the promotion of values, the promotion of a way to be and a way to do,” Ciolos said, according to local Agerpres. He also talked about the future plans of his Platform Romania 100 association, which he registered in court at the beginning of March this year. “What are we doing now? We’ve set up that association – Platform Romania 100 – and, together with the team, we’re trying to find the best way so that the activity within this association can support a project of perspective for 2019-2020. We’ll work on projects that give consistency to a program.” Referring to making a political party, Ciolos said that this is not his intention, as this would only “divide and fracture event more the forces that are trying to rediscover and redefine themselves,” and “it’s important to let them do that.” He also said that, together with his team, he is trying to find the best ways to mobilize the energies of those who want to engage in a new way of doing politics. Ciolos has been seen as a possible leader for the National Liberal Party (PNL) or the Save Romania Union (USR), the two parties that used his image in the campaign for the December 11 parliamentary elections. However, in both parties there are strong factions that don't agree with such a scenario. Former PM says he won’t join Save Romania Union Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com