UPDATE PM Orban, President Iohannis say early elections, best for Romania

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced on Friday having decided with President Klaus Iohannis that holding early elections will be the best solution now for Romania..

"The President of Romania and I have decided that it is best for Romania to hold early elections. The Romanians have made it clear at the referendum, at the elections to the European Parliament, at the presidential election, that they will no longer want the PSD [Social Democratic Party] at rule, than Parliament is currently being dominated by PSD acting as a brake on the President's and the government's efforts to put the will of the people into practice; it is absolutely necessary for power to return to the people and the citizens to elect their representatives so that there is a faithful mirror in Parliament of the current options of Romanian citizens that will lead Romania in the right direction, to have a clear Euro-Atlantic positioning, to maximise for Romania the benefits of EU membership and to allow an economic development based on investments, productivity gains, competitiveness, on innovation, research and on making the most of all the opportunities that exist for Romania," said Orban after meeting Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

He did not want to elaborate on the strategy for triggering the early elections.

He showed that it would be useful and good for an early general election to be organised simultaneously with the local elections.

Orban did not want to specify when the first step in triggering the early elections would be taken. He mentioned that the National Liberal Party (PNL) had appointed a working team for discussions with the political parties on the matter.

"As for the will of the president and my will and implicitly PNL's, it does exist and it is one hundred percent," said Orban.

He indicated that there are two solutions to trigger the early elections.

He argued that PSD cannot block early elections.

"How would they block early elections? Will they vote for the PNL government? Do you not realize that the whole country will laugh at them," said Orban.

Asked how he would persuade the PSD to file a censure motion, Orban replied: "You will see!".

Orban indicated that he also discussed with Iohannis a deadline when the procedure for the early elections should begin, but did not want to disclose it because an analysis should still be carried out regarding the period of time between the dissolution of Parliament, the convening of this ballot by the Government and the date of the elections.

Orban was asked if he would consider reducing the number of MP seats to 300.

He showed that he had presented to Iohannis details of his recent official visit to Brussels.