Romanian presidential candidate Elena Lasconi calls for broad democratic ruling coalition

In her first speech after the validation of the first round of the presidential elections in Romania and after the release of the results of the parliamentary elections, presidential candidate Elena Lasconi(USR) called for a broad democratic ruling coalition to include Social Democrats (PSD), Liberals (PNL), reformists (USR), and ethnic Hungarians (UDMR).

Lasconi, who previously opted for Liberal acting president Ilie Bolojan for the prime minister seat, admitted that the head of the cabinet might be proposed by the Social Democrats as well – or he could be an independent technocrat.

Notably, the broad democratic coalition proposed by Elena Lasconi does not include the second-largest parliamentary party, the nationalist Alliance for United Romanians (AUR).

Lasconi said she would hold talks with all representatives of the parties in the coalition she proposed, starting with the Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu. She said she expected the Social Democrats' leader to take a more "pro-western" attitude than the ambiguous statements made so far about being "an element of unity" between the pro-western parties and what he pictured as the conservative forces.

"We need statesmen who will take Romania's pro-European and pro-NATO democratic path," stressed the USR president, as quoted by Ziarul Financiar.

Elena Lasconi will run in the second round of the presidential elections on December 8 against the independent candidate Calin Georgescu – who has expressed pro-Russian, nationalist, and radical views. While Lasconi is backed by her party, USR, by the Liberals and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR, Georgescu is supported by the nationalist party AUR and far-right parties such as SOS Romania and POT (Party of Young People, a new parliamentary party).

The president of the political party with the highest score in the recent parliamentary party, PSD, Marcel Ciolacu (confirmed in his seat despite announcing resignation plans after the failure to make it to the second round of the presidential elections) avoided expressing a firm preference between reformist candidate Lasconi and pro-Russian candidate Georgescu.

(Photo source: Facebook/Elena Lasconi)