Marcel Cholaku said on Wednesday night that if the PNL leaves the government, he will submit his mandate as prime minister. However, he added that, based on discussions with PNL leader Nicolae Chuke, “such a scenario is out of the question.” The head of the PSD also told his liberal colleagues in the Coalition that “it is a wrong approach” to be upset that they cannot impose “prime ministers or certain decisions”.

Among Marcel Cholaku’s statements:

• “If the coalition partners make a political decision to leave the government, then Mr. President Klaus Iohannis will receive my mandate as prime minister.”
• “I entered this project after discussing, including with the President of Romania, that we will keep this coalition and this government at least until 2024.”
• “If we are upset that we no longer have a prime minister, even though we had a prime minister for three and a half years, with a voter turnout of 20%, and it seems normal to continue to have prime ministers or certain solutions, I think that’s the wrong approach.”
• “But from my discussions with Mr. President Nicolae Chuke – and in order not to disturb him – such a scenario is excluded.”
• “As prime minister, I have not seen an agreed calendar for all elections this year. When this calendar is available, then we will communicate and make certain changes.”

It will be recalled that on Monday the PSD and PNL leaders did not reach a consensus on setting the election calendar for 2024. At the negotiating table, the PSD demands an agreement and a decision on all four types of elections and the division of all candidates for the Coalition. The bone of contention blocking the negotiations is, in fact, the candidacy in the presidential elections.

The PSD wants Marcel Čolaka as the Coalition’s candidate in the December presidential election, while the Liberals want Nicolae Chuke. In this context, there is a very high chance that local elections will not be combined with European Parliament elections and that all elections will be held on time. A new meeting of the Coalition will be held on Friday, February 16.

• READ ALSO: Tension and impasse in the coalition: PSD and PNL leaders did not agree on the presidential candidate / Consolidation of elections may be canceled

Then, on Tuesday evening, the PNL leaders at a meeting of the Politburo decided to keep their decision not to give in to the PSD in favor of a candidate in the presidential elections. With such a decision, the PNL leadership will go to the meeting of the Coalition scheduled for Friday, February 16. The possibility of breaking the alliance with the PSD and leaving the government was discussed behind closed doors for the first time, liberal sources told HotNews.ro.

• READ ALSO: PNL leaders keep their decision: they do not support PSD’s presidential candidacy / The first debate on breaking the alliance with PSD / Blaga: If we don’t break the harness, the horse will die

On the same topic:

• PSD Vice-President: 95% that the elections will no longer be combined / “We extended a helping hand to the PNL”
• Jonutz Stroe says PNL has not given up on talks to set election calendar: “Mandate remains unchanged, but it’s too late”