Eurasia Press & News
Bucharest – Romanian President Traian Basescu has ended the first round of talks with political parties over the future Prime Minister, following the November 30 general election.
“There were just preliminary discussions, so no final conclusion was reached yet.
Negotiations will continue in the days to come,” said sources close to the President.
Only four parties have entered Romania’s new parliament: the centre-right Democratic Party, PLD, the Social Democratic Party, PSD, centre-right Liberals, PNL and the party of ethnic Hungarians in Romania, UDMR.
President Basescu has to nominate a Prime Minister, with Parliament then voting on whether to back his choice.
Both the Social Democrats and PLD said Friday they are open to talks with any party aimed at forming a coalition government.
Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s Liberal Party would consider joining a coalition only if their anti-crisis measures will be adopted to the future government,
according to one of its leaders.
The most likely outcome of the post-election talks is an alliance between the PDL and Tariceanu’s party but only if they heal their rift, experts say.
Squabbles between President Basescu, who hails from the ranks of the PDL, and Tariceanu’s Liberals wrecked a coalition between the two parties in 2007.
Since then Tariceanu’s minority government has been tacitly supported in parliament by the PSD and the UDMR. President Basescu said before the polls that he would prefer a centre-right government.
