Jokingly or seriously, it somehow seems that we have reached the paradoxical situation of going to vote for the president just to find out who will designate Ilie Bolojan as prime minister. The first to announce this designation intention was Elena Lasconi, without speaking to Ilie Bolojan beforehand, we understand.
Then, Florin Roman announced him, on the occasion of the presentation of the PNL governance program, as the future liberal prime minister, in tandem with PNL candidate Nicolae Ciucă, to the evident surprise, slightly irritated, of Ilie Bolojan. Soon, the campaign posters of the Nicolae Ciucă-Ilie Bolojan duo will appear.
And, the cherry on top, Marcel Ciolacu himself has shown great favor towards Mr. Bolojan, especially since the PSD leader has repeatedly announced that, in the event of his victory in the presidential elections, the position of prime minister will not go to the social democrats: "He is a man who wants to make reforms in Romania, a man who has shown great dedication in terms of local administration in Bihor and is a partner that I would like, from the position of President of Romania."
Why is Mr. Bolojan the political star of the moment
In short, Ilie Bolojan is perhaps the only politician who has consistently and constantly delivered, at an exceptional level, uninvolved in scandals, without integrity issues, although from my information, before being so courted, the head of the DNA would have received orders to somehow bring him down.
But that was during the period when Klaus Iohannis was still in power and his animosity towards Mr. Bolojan mattered. Now it doesn't matter anymore, just like Mr. Iohannis himself doesn't matter anymore.
As I have said before, even when Mr. Bolojan was banned from politics in Bucharest and the liberals failed with Orban, Cîțu, and Ciucă, he would probably be the best prime minister Romania could have. Yes, the country is not just a bigger Oradea, it's a different beast, but correct managerial method, credibility, and seriousness are what matter most.
And there are two more elements that should not be ignored.
On one hand, both PSD and PNL need to somehow revitalize stability after the elections because, mathematically, there are not many other majority options. And Ilie Bolojan has the pragmatism, experience, and political credibility necessary to coalesce a majority.
On the other hand, it is no secret that unpopular adjustments are coming, especially in the budget area. And who would be more suitable to make them than a very popular politician who has gained prestige through correct but totally unpopular measures.
But realistically, beyond this festival of uncertainties, how can Ilie Bolojan become prime minister?
Theoretically, through Mr. Ciucă's victory in the presidential elections. Practically, it is the most unlikely path. If Mr. Ciucă were to become president, the victory would be instantly claimed by the current party leadership led by Lucian Bode, who would rush to take control.
Why would the PNL president call Ilie Bolojan, with his rigorous, almost militaristic style and evident incompatibility with their schemes and tricks? Why would they hang themselves by their own rope, so to speak?
And why would the mayors want Ilie Bolojan, who from Sinaia talked to them about severe reforms in administration, about the unsustainable deficit, about the irresponsible arrears of mayors that no longer need to be cleared? By the way, an excellent prime minister speech.
Can we really imagine that someone in the PNL wants reform?
However, if PNL suffers a remarkable failure in the presidential elections, with a certain cost at the parliamentary level, the party will inevitably begin to unravel, and only then, to avoid total collapse, they will cling to the only valid brand they have.
When you are on your deathbed, you can't afford to avoid the best doctor, no matter how antipathetic or fearful you are of him.
So in the event of PNL's success, although it will largely be achieved with its own brand in the forefront, Ilie Bolojan will have his hand shaken and will be sent to the Senate bench.
Only if PNL fails with the current leadership formula, Mr. Bolojan will have a real chance of becoming the PNL president and PNL prime minister in combination, most likely with PSD, under the presidency of Marcel Ciolacu. This is exactly the scenario referred to by Marcel Ciolacu.
Alongside the desperate attempt to propel Nicolae Ciucă, bringing Mr. Bolojan on the campaign posters in tandem with Nicolae Ciucă undoubtedly has a perverse calculation behind it. That is, sharing the potential failure. The top brass at the helm of the PNL are also preparing for the hypothesis of defeat, which can somehow be attributed to Ilie Bolojan to reduce the risk of him taking their place.
But, as they say, what you fear, you cannot escape.
Why would Marcel Ciolacu choose Ilie Bolojan as prime minister? Once he becomes president, Mr. Ciolacu's perspective will change. He will have the interest of starting off on the right foot with a solid government, rebuilding stability, with a prime minister capable of absorbing the shocks of the corrections to come.
And there is no strong PSD member who would have a reason to want to quickly start the fight for control of the PSD in place of him at the helm of the party and government.