PSD President, Sorin Grindeanu, accused PNL leader, Ilie Bolojan, on Thursday of „lying” to President Nicușor Dan during negotiations for the formation of a new government and repeatedly changing the conditions set for supporting an executive formula.
In response, Ilie Bolojan rejected the accusations and claimed that there was never an agreement, not even in principle, for the investiture of a technocratic government.
Grindeanu: "He lied to the President of Romania"
Sorin Grindeanu stated that respect for the presidential office implies honoring the commitments made during discussions with the head of state.
"Beyond who the President of Romania is, who is the president of PSD, who is the president of PNL, UDMR, or wherever, at AUR, there should be respect for the position of President of Romania," said the PSD leader.
He directly accused Ilie Bolojan of changing his position during the negotiations.
"When you are the president of a party and you lie to the President of Romania, you lie and I stand by what I say, that, yes, you enter a technocratic government, yes, you enter a technocratic government and you are part of a majority, but after three days you come and say, yes, I enter a technocratic government (...) but it should not be proxies, close associates of the PSD. After another three days you come and say, man, we enter and give the vote, but it should not be secretaries of state and prefects, meanwhile everyone agrees with this. And then you go to the party and have a party meeting and say that you will not vote for that government because it is not political," stated Grindeanu.
PSD Leader: "That's why we are in this situation"
The PSD President argued that the current political deadlock is also a consequence of how the negotiations evolved. "It's Ilie Bolojan's business how he chooses to relate to the President of Romania, but he lied," Grindeanu stated.
He continued the attack and stated that the liberal leader constantly came up with new conditions, which were accepted by the other parties.
"The President of the Republic was lied to and ended up coming up with new scenarios and new demands from day to day, which, surprise, were fulfilled every time. That's why we are in this situation, it's also a consequence of these developments," said the PSD leader.
He added that, in his opinion, Ilie Bolojan primarily pursues personal interests rather than those of the party. "I believe that at this moment people are fed up with the fact that Ilie Bolojan only thinks about himself. Anyone who criticizes him gets kicked out of the PNL. That's how Ilie Bolojan thinks," Grindeanu claimed.
Bolojan's Response: "I never formulated any agreement"
Shortly after the statements by the PSD leader, Ilie Bolojan posted a message on Facebook in which he refuted the accusations.
"Stop using lies to justify your failures, evasion of responsibility, and unprincipled behavior!" wrote the PNL President.
Bolojan stated that he never accepted supporting a technocratic government.
"I see that a series of toxic inventions are being spread in the public space. Just to be clear: I never formulated any agreement, not even in principle, for the investiture of a technocratic government. I publicly stated that this could have been one of the theoretical constitutional solutions, depending on meeting conditions that were not fulfilled," clarified the liberal leader.
"In and for PNL, PNL decides"
The PNL President further emphasized that decisions regarding supporting a government are exclusively made within the party structures.
"Most importantly, in and for PNL, PNL decides, through statutory bodies and open voting. Decisions in and for PNL are not made behind closed doors, no matter how important they may be," Bolojan conveyed.
He also dismissed information suggesting that he had negotiated positions in exchange for a political agreement. "There was no question of me trading any position for myself or anyone else in exchange for an agreement that was never discussed," stated the liberal leader.
Bolojan's message concluded with a new attack on political opponents.
"Since the beginning of this crisis, triggered to destroy the PNL, we should have at least understood how short the legs of lies are. Just like those of betrayal, after all," the PNL President conveyed.