ALDE's Popescu-Tariceanu: Too early to talk about presidential election, 1st quarter of 2019, best moment

Senate President, ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, minor at rule, ed. n.) leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Monday asserted that it is too early for a decision regarding the setting up by the PSD (Social Democratic Party, major at rule, ed. n.) - ALDE coalition of the candidate to run for the Presidency of Romania, due in 2019, specifying that the best moment would be the first quarter of 2019. 

"These talks are not new. (...) I haven't changed my point of view, I have agreed with the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea at a certain point to have a talk and make a decision. I believe that president Dragnea wanted to send a message out loud to our colleagues and not via the media. Actually, we are not in the situation of having to make any decision in this respect. It is way too early to make a decision on a common candidate or on who's going to be the candidate," Popescu-Tariceanu said. 

The ALDE president added that his party has neither come to a decision on whether to run for the European Parliament on separate or joint lists with the PSD. 

"We had an ALDE meeting wherein my colleagues and I have shown our option to run on separate lists, and yet it is not a final option, a decision has not yet been made. I have announced that we, ALDE, have set the selection criteria, so regardless of the way we shall run for the EP, separately or with PSD, the selection criteria will stay valid and will help us define the criteria in a more accurate way, based on scores so that the election be as objective as possible and then we shall decided the formula. Any formula has advantages and inconveniences, obviously," Popescu-Tariceanu stressed. 

Asked whether he wants to run for the Romanian Presidency, in 2019, Popescu-Tariceanu said: "Naturally, this exercise depends on the joint will, on certain circumstances and a certain political support. When the time comes to talk at the political level, I will certainly tell you. (...) The best moment would be in the first quarter of the next year."