At the National Convention of the PNL, Valeriu Stoica, probably the most enlightened strategic mind the liberals have had since 1989, uttered the only words that the theatrical gathering would have had reason to ponder in order to decide and then act accordingly.
“The Iohannis era was important, but it has ended. PNL must enter a new phase along with the two campaigns,” said the former president of the PNL.
With his characteristic elegance, Valeriu Stoica urged his colleagues to acknowledge that it is time for detachment and, I would say, even for awakening the party, which must become a force with correct reflexes, with a pragmatic, logical, and efficient political behavior, surpassing the status of a mere appendage of the presidential will.
An egocentric will, which almost destroyed the PNL, so much so that it needs a former party president to announce an obvious fact to it.
Indeed, detachment is not easy after 10 years of submission and total dependency. Often, wild animals kept in captivity for a long time continue to move in circles even after being released, as they did after bars. The first step is awareness.
But does Mr. Iohannis accept that his reign has ended?
Mr. Iohannis missed all the foreign dignities he aimed for. From the ridiculous rush to the top of NATO, with a stumble at the UN, to attempts in Brussels, all were not only met with failure but also with the irony of the foreign press wondering why Mr. Iohannis imagines he has the stature necessary for a high external position.
He doesn't communicate, he even despises communication, he doesn't give an account, he has no respect for public money and those who produce it, he has no respect for the votes received. Why would Romania's partners want him? Simply because, regardless of will or any merit of Mr. Iohannis, he is Eastern European?
But it seems that Mr. Iohannis is not giving up and is clinging at least to an internal dignity, a senatorial position, the presidency of the Senate, and of course, the presidency of the PNL. That is, a strategic position, without responsibility, risks, and obligations, such as that of prime minister, for example.
Why strategic? First, we should answer why Mr. Iohannis would want a new dignity. Does he have an exceptional project that he wants to fulfill? Does he have a vision for Romania that keeps him awake at night and that he doesn't want to abandon? Obviously not.
So why would he accept a position lower than the current one and those targeted through international institutions? To continue to be part of the games that decide who Romania proposes for a job with a lot of protocol and a lot of money.
Iohannis' Dependency
Somehow, Mr. Iohannis is not dependent on power as Traian Băsescu was after 10 years in office. He is dependent on the privileges and luxury of power from which he refuses to detach.
To run for office, he must become a party member, which implies resigning from the position of President of Romania, and Mr. Ciucă would become interim. Liberals believe that this position would somehow ensure victory for Nicolae Ciucă in the presidential elections.
What this scenario does not take into account is that the people are not fools, and these types of maneuvers that insult their intelligence can backfire.
With Iohannis in the top position on the PNL's Senate list, especially in Bucharest, it is possible that the liberals will suffer a historic defeat. With his level of trust and sympathy, Mr. Iohannis is an electoral liability.
And Mr. Ciucă, with Iohannis as a ball and chain, has even fewer chances, no matter in what interim position he is ostentatiously placed.
PNL has only one chance for the future. To detach from Klaus Iohannis and, with Nicolae Ciucă defeated or victorious in the presidential elections, to choose a true president and start their own reconstruction.