Prime Minister Florin Citu on the 'new lease of life' in PNL: A state of mind starting from the top

Prime Minister Florin Citu spoke on Tuesday about the modernisation of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and what the "new lease of life" in the party means, showing that, in the end, it is a state of mind and it starts from the top, with changing the party's national leader, agerpres report.

"After all, it's a state of mind and it starts from the top, right? With changing the party's national leader, that's where the 'new lease of life' begins. It's not necessarily about young people. It's about people who have known how to adapt to the new requirements of society. We are living in a new society, a modern society, and I'm talking about the modernisation of the National Liberal Party, because that's the only way you can modernise Romania. There is no talking about the modernisation of Romania unless you talk about the modernisation of the National Liberal Party, which is the most important party in this coalition. So for me 'new lease of life' means, to give you an example, at this time in the coalition, for example, or in the Executive Bureau's (BEx) meetings, things are bizarre, from my point of view, and when I am the national leader I think they will not do the same. The BEx is the forum that should mandate the national chairman and should tell the national chairman what mandate to use inside the ruling coalition, for example. The chairman of the party does not come to BEx and say what he has decided alone and BEx must approve," Citu told TVR1 public national broadcaster on Tuesday.

He added that he would ask Ludovic Orban to accept this way of working moving forward.

"BEx must be respected. Moreover, I give you one more thing: what does 'new lease of life' mean to me? BEx meetings must be transparent for all members of the National Liberal Party. The governing forum (...) voted at the congress. So the meetings of this leading forum of the National Liberal Party must be transparent to all party members, it must be online... Of course, people must not participate in the sense of saying something, but it must be visible as people must know exactly what the party leadership does, how these decisions are made. (...) We want transparency from everyone else, but we do not make transparency in the party. This is the direction in which I want to lead the party," said Citu.