Political wrangling over naming of new PM continued late on Wednesday

Romanian President Traian Basescu suggested on Wednesday evening he might name a new prime minister from the ranks of Democratic Liberals (PDL). His earlier opposition to other parties’ proposal of a government led by Sibiu mayor Klaus Johannis was dismissed by Johannis proponents in a continuous dispute that followed the fall of the PDL Government run by Emil Boc on Tuesday.

President Basescu said on Wednesday evening that he might name a new PM from the ranks of PDL as the party with the largest number of MPs, as he did when he took over as head of state, in line with the Constitution.

He said the PDL, dropping the candidacy of Emil Boc as announced during consultations on Tuesday, had claimed the right to propose its own candidate for prime minister as the party with the largest number of MPs.

„No pressure would make me break the letter of the Constitution”, he said. Basescu also warned that unless Romania manages to draw two installments of an IMF and EU loan until end of year the country may become incapable to pay salaries and pensions.

He said he would support a prime minister with economic expertise and experience in relations with banks and international financial institutions.

Basescu’s statements came as Social Democrats (PSD), Liberals (PNL) and Hungarian Democrats (UDMR) reaffirmed their support for Klaus Johannis, mayor of Sibiu city, for prime minister while they rejected the president’s suggestion of a national unity government. Basescu had said he would support such a government instead of one of technocrats earlier today.