PDL, candidacy day

The head of the PDL, Emil Boc, the party’s Secretary General, Vasile Blaga, and the former Minister of Culture, Theodor Paleologu, officially announced their candidacy for the Democratic Liberal Party presidency.

The first to launch his candidacy at the party’s central office was the Prime Minister Emil Boc, who is supported by Roberta Anastase, Gheorghe Flutur and Ioan Oltean.

"I run for the PDL President along with a team that combines maturity and youth, experience and responsibility, a team whose ideology, personalities and people managed to assert themselves in the public life by direct public vote", Emil Boc stated.

The present leader of the party added that his main objectives are to keep the PDL’s position as the governing party, to win local and parliamentary elections in 2012 and, as a result, to run the Government after the elections.

"I know what is to be done in order to win the elections. I have won all electoral competitions ever since I became head of the PDL. You should be confident that I know what is to be done in order to win the elections", Emil Boc declared.

He also guaranteed that every member of the PDL team had his well-established place.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that "he fully supports the debates in the PDL" and, therefore, he wishes luck to other colleagues who intend to submit their candidacy.

The PDL "needs a change of pace"

The second candidate, who launched on Monday his candidacy for the PDL’s leadership is Vasile Blaga.

His candidacy was accompanied by the motion ‘Romania, a proper country, a European country’ and the 35 signatures needed to file the motion.

Vasile Blaga arrived at the PDL central office together with his supporters, including Sorin Frunzăverde, Cristian Boureanu, Cezar Preda, Costică Canacheu, Cătălin Croitoru, Radu F. Alexandru, Cristian Rădulescu, Mihail Boldea.

Radu Berceanu was also waiting for Vasile Blaga at the PDL central office, who was a member of the organizing committee for the congress.

In Vasile Blaga’s opinion, the PDL needs a new approach, a president capable of regaining the trust of voters.

"I submit my candidacy as it is my belief that there must be unity in the PDL, strength, consistency of its ideology and values, it must be a modern European people’s party."

"The party needs a change of pace, a new approach."

"It is time to elect a president who can regain the trust of voters, a president who can revitalise all activity sectors in our country", Vasile Blaga said.

The PDL "must rely on intelligence and creativity"

The last to launch his candidacy for the PDL presidency was the deputy Theodor Paleologu.

Theodor Paleologu claims in his motion that the PDL also needs to address both the new members of the party and the civil society.

"The title of the motion, "Looking towards the future", is aimed at indicating that the party needs a new generation, but this requires the party to address the new members of the party, the ones who intend to become members and the civil society in general."

"It is time for the PDL to rely on intelligence and creativity", Theodor Paleologu considers.

He mentioned that his motion collected 35 signatures, mostly from Democrat-Liberals in Iaşi, Bucureşti and Sighişoara.

Emil Boc has been the president of the PDL for six years.

The elections for the PDL presidency will be held on 14 May.

Translated by: Mihaela Grigoraş
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University