Oana Gheorghiu: PNL will decide whether to support Luca Niculescu after reviewing the government program and team

PNL has not yet decided whether it will support in Parliament the government led by designated Prime Minister Luca Niculescu, interim Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu said. The liberals will make a decision after reviewing the government program and the list of ministers.

Gheorghiu told Digi24 that investiture votes are not granted to a person, but to a program and a team. She said that PNL is open to dialogue with the designated prime minister, but that the talks do not represent a promise to participate in government or a “blank check.”

The interim deputy prime minister said that the liberals want to ensure that the new Cabinet intends to continue reforms and keep the deficit under control. The final decision will be made by the party’s Political Bureau, after the program and nominees for ministerial posts have been presented in concrete terms.

Gheorghiu described President Nicușor Dan’s designation of Luca Niculescu as expected, since his name had been mentioned among the possible candidates. She described him as a professional, an intellectual and an honest man, but stressed that these qualities are not enough to secure a vote of investiture.

At the same time, Oana Gheorghiu rejected the idea of suspending the president, saying that such a procedure is neither justified nor useful. She warned that Romania does not need another crisis and called for the rapid formation of a government with full powers.