Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, leader of the UDMR, said on Tuesday that if he had his way he would opt for early elections because 2024 is a year of “stagnation” and a stable government majority is needed.

“If I were the one deciding on my own, I would make the down payments this year. We all have to agree, those who make up the majority, and then the president of the country, because without him you can’t make predictions. And this should be explained first of all to the citizens. Why would I expect if it was up to me? 2024 is an election year. It is very rare that all our elections take place in one year – from May to November. This means that, knowing as much as possible what the election year means, the central administration will first of all sit down, wait to see what happens,” Kelemen Hunor said on TVR Info on Tuesday evening, according to Agerpres.

According to him, “it will not be instability, it will just be stagnation.”

“In such a year, you should have something very strong and very strong – the Government and the Parliament. With this opinion, it is possible to predict – in 2024 there will be a stable Government, Parliament and a legitimate majority, and don’t look anymore, and the administration will work. You should have three or four projects, we have, for which we should not stop for a year, including PNRR, including other important things, structural funds, Schengen and so on. You can’t lose a year. There is no possibility of postponing other elections, European Parliament elections are held in May across Europe, during a week set by the Commission and Parliament, then local elections cannot be moved closer, nor can they be postponed only in certain situations and presidential elections are not a problem. Parliamentarians yes. For 33 years, there has not been a single parliamentary promotion, but in such a situation one must have a vision, one must be flexible, be resourceful and courageous. That’s why I would do it, but it’s not up to me,” the UDMR leader said.

Asked if he had discussed this aspect in the ruling coalition, Kelemen Hunor said: “In the coalition meetings in a larger format, we talk about several topics, in a limited format, because there are three of us, we also discuss things that remain between us until we believe that we should go public.”

“Let’s not speculate. If we come to such a conclusion, then it will be an applied discussion, because here we need to see exactly all the steps, we have to start from the calculation, and not on a made-up scandal. I would not agree to make a scandal, but I think so, because there is nothing wrong with it. The mandate is for four years, but if the majority thinks that we can do elections sooner, we can do them early, there is no problem, and if we also have the president on our side, then we can move to such a constitutional procedure, a constitutional institution and a completely democratic tool. Just because I haven’t done it in 33 years or 32 years, that’s life, doesn’t mean you don’t have to. And this is my main argument – that 2024 is a dead year – stagnation. You must have something stable, you must have a Government, a Parliament, a coalition, a stable majority,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.