Today, PSD and PNL are expected to make a decision regarding the 2024 election year, on the table are the scenarios of combining several rounds of elections, joint candidacies, as well as supporting a presidential candidate. The day promises to be extremely busy. Before the CSAT, there will be an informal discussion of the leaders of the Coalition, where Marcel Čolaku and Nicolae Chuke will meet face-to-face with President Klaus Iohannis, and in the afternoon meetings of the leaders of the Social Democrats and Liberals are scheduled.

Before the decisive negotiations, the leaders of both sides do not rule out any option. Marcel Cholaku on Tuesday called a “political or electoral alliance”, which also involves joint candidates.

“One of the solutions is an electoral union or a political union that will give Romania stability,” the PSD leader said, citing “protecting Romania from extremism” as an argument.

The first scenario is the union of MEPs with local MEPs on June 9, and it may also lead to joint candidates for the European Parliament, which caused dissatisfaction especially in the social-democratic camp. Marcel Cholaku suggests that this can be overcome. “When you reach certain public positions, you have to decide what’s best for Romania, and then coordinate things so that it’s clear to your colleagues that this is what’s best for Romania, and not be pesedists or panelists,” he said.

In addition, the PNL and PSD must decide whether there will be joint candidacies at the local level or whether they will be punctual.

PSD wants a full election calendar – the presidential one is a critical moment

With this first scenario on the table and more intensively supported by the PNL, the PSD wants to have a calendar for the entire 2024 election year. In this case, the Social Democrats have several options taken into account.

Sources in the party claim that if it is agreed on a single union of MEPs with local ones, then each party will go with its presidential candidate before the Romanians. If it is decided to unite the parliamentarians in one of the two rounds of the presidential elections, the PSD wants a single candidate supported by both parties of the coalition.

When the discussions started, when they stopped, and when they resumed

Talks about combining the elections began more than a month ago. Once they reached the distribution of candidacies at the level of district mayors. But a week ago PSD made a new request, which conditioned the understanding of the combination of local elections with elections to the European Parliament: the support of the liberals for the presidential candidate Marcel Čolaka.

The Liberals refused and the talks were suspended. Limited informal discussions between Marcel Cholakou, Nicolae Chuke and Klaus Iohannis took place over the weekend and discussions have resumed.

Thus, away from the eyes of the media, Marcel Čolaku and Nicolae Chuke returned to their better senses and informally discussed the future of the government and the coalition on Sunday. Political sources told HotNews.ro that PSD and PNL leaders have unblocked discussions on the merger of local and European parliaments. PSD would abandon the condition of liberals’ support for its presidential candidate. According to HotNews.ro sources, the discussion was focused only on the unification of elections and joint lists with the NLP in the elections to the European Parliament.