The PSD-PNL coalition, expected to decide to merge the local elections with the European Parliament elections

The leaders of the governing coalition are to announce today whether part of this year's elections will be combined or not, according to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

The Head of the Government declared, yesterday, to the media representatives, after the intervention he had during the "Living better with Europe" event: "What I can tell you with certainty, as Prime Minister of Romania, is that I want to announce the entire calendar of elections tomorrow. It doesn't have to be a decision that we make today and then get together in a week. When we make the decision, we publish the entire calendar so that Romanians know when they have to vote".

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that, following the discussions in the coalition, one of the solutions is an electoral alliance or a political alliance, which would give "stability to Romania".

Marcel Ciolacu stated: "We all stayed tight around the values that define us. None of us tried to seek votes, change our opinions or try to compromise with extremist groups that would have diverted us from the way we have to go. I want to live in a free Romania, in a free Europe. I don't want our opponents to die suddenly by shootings or poisoned. I do not want Romania to be a vassal of the Russian Federation. That is why the elections on 9 June across Europe are very important. (...) I don't think that in Europe, at this moment, a party will be able to make 50% by itself. I think that dialogue will be essential after June 9, at the European level. In our country, there are many discussions. You know that we have a coalition made between two big parties, PSD and PNL. Our priority, regardless of which party we belong to, is to defend Romania from extremism. (...) I want to take together with Nicolae Ciucă the best decision regarding the Romanians and the future and stability of Romania (...) There are two programs to harmonize, because we will definitely come up with a program. It is a very clear path against extremism in Romania, which exists and we must recognize this and we will also see what the Romanians' perception is. (...) When you reach certain state positions, you must decide what is best for Romania and then harmonize things so that your colleagues are made clear that this is the best for Romania, beyond being pesedists or penelists".

PSD and PNL sources quoted by the media say that the only decision on the decision table is the merging of the European parliamentary elections with the local ones, on June 9, due to the pressure put by the mayors of the two political formations who do not want to miss out on the European funds allocated for development localities. PSD and PNL councilors claim that this merger would be beneficial to reduce the number of deputies that the extremist parties expect to send to the European Parliament, according to recently published polls.

The merging of MEPs with local elections is not seen favorably by the leader of AUR, George Simion, who said yesterday that his party will change its strategy in the event of such a decision being made by the governing coalition and will ally itself with other opposition parties politics to jointly support common candidates in the local elections to fight against the majority that PSD and PNL want to impose.

George Simion stated that, in this case, he will no longer be interested in the political past of the candidates, nor in their affiliation, and will make any necessary gesture, ceding the interests of the AUR just to put sticks in the wheels of the PSD-PNL coalition.

The President of the AUR said, yesterday, at the Palace of the Parliament: "I want to inform you that, considering the haste of the government to hold joint elections, we are also changing our guard. If there will also be local elections on June 9, in total contempt for the Constitution (..) we accept common candidates from all formations, to fight with PSD, PNL representatives, no matter what they are called".

He announced that for the position of mayor of Iaşi the former PSD MEP, doctor Tudor Ciuhodaru, will be supported by AUR, that in Suceava his political formation will have a candidate for the position of president of the County Council, and in Cluj it will support the liberal Sabin Sărmas against Emil Boc.

George Simion stated: "I am not interested in the political past, the affiliation, I am not interested in anything other than saying stop to this anti-nature coalition that wants to be in power for another 10 years from now. I will make any political gesture necessary, putting the interests of my party below, to fight them. If that's what they wanted to get from GOLD and part of the Romanians, I inform them that they have just succeeded".

Yesterday, Nicuşor Dan, the general mayor of the capital, spoke out against merging the European parliamentary elections with the local ones, who wrote on the official Facebook page that this merging "would be an attack on democracy".

Nicuşor Dan stated: "We have been complaining for a long time that politicians are separated from society, and now just such an artificial measure would only break even more, that is, to see even more clearly that one is the politicians' agenda, another is citizen's agenda".

The merging of the two elections is also criticized by the leader of REPER, the European deputy Dacian Cioloş, who stated in a post on his Facebook page: "After the politicians debated for weeks on the issue of merging the elections, Mr. Ciolacu announces today the merging of the PSD with PNL, because "if you end up in certain state positions you have to decide what is best for Romania". This is how authoritarian regimes begin, when those who have reached a position of power believe from a given moment that «I am the people» and «I know best what the people want». Unfortunately for Marcel Ciolacu and fortunately for Romania, we still have elections this year and the political juggling that the leaders are thinking to cement their authority can be foiled at the vote. The cowards at the head of the state forget that Romanians have a great aversion to the party-state that controls everything".

The president of the UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, recently sent a message according to which the formation he represents is ready to obtain the necessary number of votes, even if the European Parliament and local government elections will be held simultaneously or not on June 9, so that the entire community Hungarian to be represented both in Brussels and in the public administration.

Instead, USR leaders announced that they will appeal to the Constitutional Court a possible decision to merge the elections taken by the PSD-PNL coalition.