Interim Prime Minister and PNL leader Ilie Bolojan stated on Wednesday evening that unaffiliated parliamentarians can play a decisive role in forming the future government, given that approximately 10% of the Parliament members are no longer part of the parties they ran with in the 2024 elections.
The statements come after several parliamentarians elected on AUR, SOS, POT, and PSD lists have joined PNL parliamentary groups.
"I did not encourage political defection, but..."
When asked about PNL's closeness to parliamentarians from other parties, Bolojan maintained that he did not encourage political migration, but the current situation in Parliament is "interesting."
"I did not encourage political defection, but we have an interesting situation in the Romanian Parliament, where at least 10% of parliamentarians are no longer on the lists they were voted on in 2024," the liberal leader said in an interview on B1TV.
According to him, this concerns approximately 50 parliamentarians who have become unaffiliated or changed their parliamentary groups.
Bolojan explained that any collaborations were discussed at the level of PNL county organizations and were accepted only where there were "somewhat convergent political ideas."
"The worst situation"
The PNL leader argued that a large number of unaffiliated parliamentarians can create instability and unpredictability in Parliament. "The worst situation is to have a large group of parliamentarians who are not affiliated anywhere, because they are a factor that does not generate predictability in Parliament," Bolojan stated.
He insisted that parliamentarians who joined PNL groups did not receive benefits in exchange for their support.
"I don't think that when you join a party or decide to collaborate in one way or another, you necessarily have to do it if you receive something," the liberal leader said. "There was no discussion of such matters, and personally, I do not agree with this type of approach," he added.
"I can weigh more than UDMR"
Ilie Bolojan also commented on the consultations convened by President Nicușor Dan with unaffiliated parliamentarians and small groups in Parliament.
The PNL leader appreciated that the head of state is trying to understand their position regarding the formation of a government majority. "If a group of parliamentarians representing a 10% share would function coherently, then they certainly weigh more than UDMR," Bolojan stated.
He added that such a group can influence both the formation of a new government and the adoption of important projects in Parliament. "They can influence, to some extent, in the case of relatively close votes, the formation of a government or the adoption of legislation in one way or another," the interim prime minister said.