Romanian Senate’s head Tariceanu ready to step into presidential race

The junior ruling partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), will “almost certainly” nominate party president Calin Popescu Tariceanu as its candidate for November’s presidential elections, ALDE vice president Varujan Vosganian announced, according to local Mediafax.

Vosganian said that he expects the party of former Social Democrat PM Victor Ponta, Pro Romania, to support Tariceanu as well.

He blamed the senior ruling partner, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), for having already announced its president, prime minister Viorica Dancila, as its presidential candidate despite “her not visibly holding the strongest position in the presidential race.” PSD thus “breached the agreement,” Vosganian stated, implying that the joint candidate should have been decided based on electoral polls. The ruling coalition will keep functioning, but ALDE’s trust was seriously shaken, he added.

PM Dancila was appointed officially by PSD as the party’s presidential candidate, to be formally validated by the party’s Congress in early August.

(Photo source: Facebook/Calin Popescu Tariceanu)