President Basescu appoints Calin Popescu-Tariceanu as Premier

Romania’s President Traian Basescu yesterday appointed the PNL-PD Alliance co-chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, one of the Liberal Party founders and a thriving businessman, as Prime Minister.

Tariceanu has until December 29 to come up with a ruling programme and the new Cabinet before the Parliament and request an investiture vote from the Senators and Deputies.

The head of state Traian Basescu explained it was important to have the new Government installed by December 31 in order to pass the emergency ordinance on the fiscal relaxation before the new year begins. “If we miss December 31, the fiscal relaxation will no longer be possible to apply as of January 1, 2005 and will be delayed for another year,” Basescu specified.

The fiscal relaxation programme presented by the PNL (National Liberal Party) – PD (Democrat Party) Alliance during the electoral campaign is built around the introduction of the flat income and profit tax of 16%. This Alliance goal stood even after the programme negotiations with the UDMR (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) concluded on Monday.

In order to secure the Parliament’s endorsement, the Tariceanu Cabinet needs a favourable vote from most MPs. The PNL-PD Alliance can count on the political support of the UDMR MPs, a political party that will rule side by side with PNL and PD, as well as the vote of the 18 deputies from the national minorities group other than the Hungarian minority. In the absence of political support from the MPs of other parties, the national minorities’ backing is insufficient, though.

Shortly after the announcement of the head of state, the Premier appointed, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu stated he would start talks with the parliamentary parties to boost support for the future government in Parliament. Tariceanu mentioned that the PNL-PD Alliance already had a political agreement with UDMR in place that would be extended to governing, yet talks with PUR did not yield any results.

President Traian Basescu says that the talks the Premier appointed will have with all the parliamentary parties, PSD (Social Democrat Party) and PRM (Greater Romania Party) inclusive, might result in achieving the majority support in Parliament so that the Government will pass at the first attempt.

“Following the consultations I had at Cotroceni (President’s HQ) I saw no hostility from any of the political parties, even though PSD wants to be involved in ruling,” Basescu said.

The President explained the appointment of Tariceanu for Prime Minister saying the PNL-PD Alliance was that organisation, which got most of the parliamentary seats, 161 compared with PSD, which was one seat short of that. “The PSD – PUR Union is an electoral not a political alliance,” Basescu said.

UDMR welcomed Basescu’s decision. The leader of the UDMR group in the Chamber of Deputies, Kelemen Attila yesterday deemed Basescu’s decision as “correct”, adding Tariceanu was a “suitable candidate”.

PSD leader Adrian Nastase stated his party would consider the offer, the ruling programme and the Government slate presented by Calin Popescu Tariceanu and then decide what to do next.
mirela.luca@zf.ro ; iulian.anghel@zf.ro