The radicals in the PNL (National Liberal Party) are persuading the party president Calin Popescu Tariceanu, also a PM of Romania, into a "complex" restructuring of the Cabinet and also into keeping senator Norica Nicolai as their choice for a future minister of justice. They are going to do this in today's meeting of the Permanent Political Committee. Or, the other possibility available, is for the PNL to quit. Party sources claim the main adepts of this idea are Crin Antonescu, Dan Radu Rusanu, Puiu Hasotti and Radu Stroe.
One PNL vice president explains: "Our proposal is restructuring of the Cabinet with Norica Nicolai to take over the Ministry of Justice. Or the solution is for the PNL to quit, because of the Constitutional Court's decision that modifies the Constitution and turns Romania from a parliamentary republic into a presidential republic."
Ludovic Orban is not a supporter of withdrawal, but he is an adept of government restructuring so that Norica Nicolai would continue to be the party's choice.
Sources say the radicals in the party wouldn't put up with the idea to choose another Liberal to become a condidate for the Ministry of Justice. According to sources, a "complex" restructuring would imply a change in the structure of the "mammoth Ministry of Economy and Finance", as well as replacing of ministers. The issue is to be tackled in today's meeting.
But a possibility such as withdrawal may turn into a soap balloon, since not even the promoters of this version trust such a political plan is achievable.
Several NGOs wrote a letter to PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu yesterday, asking him to make a different choice for the future minister of justice in order to put an end to this crisis. (R..G.)