PM Dancila says no disagreement with majority leader; diverging opinions not splitting party

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Wednesday that her relationship with the national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, Liviu Dragnea, is good and that there is no disagreement between them.

"There is no disagreement on my part - I have seen in public the idea that I have a disagreement with Chairman Liviu Dragnea. I have discussed with Chairman Dragnea, we have consulted on many objectives, on many points in the governing programme. There cannot exist any disagreement between the party's leader and the prime minister. Oftentimes there are situations in which there are diverging opinions - those diverging opinions fit into the spirit of democracy, we can have different views on various points, but that does not mean a split within the PSD. I have a good relationship with Chairman Liviu Dragnea," Dancila told Antena 3 private broadcaster.

About Dragnea's potential bid for Romania's presidency, Dancila said that the PSD leader will discuss the matter with the members of the party's Executive Committee.

"There is no reservation over such a bid. I have not had a discussion about this issue; I do not know what the opinion of Chairman Liviu Dragnea is ... (...) I have not heard Chairman Liviu Dragnea's wish to run and so it is normal for me to have a reserved position until the party chair publicly expresses his opinion. (...) I believe that Chairman Dragnea will have a discussion with the members of the Executive Committee, because all the decisions I have made inside the party and I am convinced that the chairman will discuss the matter with the Executive Committee. We do not even know what the Chairman's wish is, I think he will talk with us all and then on Sunday evening he will make an announcement," she said