Romania Defense Minister Miruță: I Do Not See a Future in Government Without USR

Romania’s outgoing Defense Minister Radu Miruță made important statements regarding the resolution of the country's political crisis, stating that he could not imagine an executive body in which the USR (Save Romania Union) party was not part of the government during the period until the elections. Miruță argued that his party's only logical and acceptable formula for exiting the crisis was dividing the time remaining until the elections into two equal stages. According to this proposal, the first stage involves the current coalition partners PNL, USR, and UDMR governing the country, while the second stage involves transferring power to the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The Minister stated that the conditions for this rotational system would be trust and a ceasefire, but noted that there was no trust left in them due to PSD's past violations of agreements.

In an interview via telephone with the private television channel Digi24, Miruță expressed that USR's vision was limited to a government rotation only between two political blocs and that they did not see formulas beyond this. Responding to a question about whether there were rumors among the public that the old coalition could be re-established without USR, Miruță clarified that such an offer had not reached them and that they were not taking such a possibility into account. In his speech, he emphasized that PSD had not remained loyal to the agreements it signed with its partners in the past and blocked the process by casting votes of no confidence against parties that were government partners, and that for this reason, trust has now been completely exhausted.

While scenarios regarding a sole government by PSD or a coalition without USR are being discussed in political corridors, Radu Miruță stated that his party firmly rejected a government to be formed solely by PSD and that resolving the problem depended on USR remaining a ruling partner. He argued that the fundamental reason for past events and the current crisis of trust was PSD's violation of agreements and that conditions needed to be made suitable for a ceasefire. Miruță was insistent on the view that a ceasefire is necessary so that the country is not left without administration, but in an environment where this trust is lacking, it is essential that the first stage be completed by current partners.

The Minister explained that the 'ceasefire government' model they proposed involved the trio of PNL-USR-UDMR governing the first half of the period until the elections, and PSD governing the second half, but noted that PSD would need to obtain the support of the other bloc during this period, even if it were as a minority government. He added that current government members were part of the state mechanism and had proven their seriousness with their work, so continuing the process was the most logical way. This plan envisages guaranteeing PSD's transition to power in the second stage, while not leaving the first stage to a party whose reliability is under debate.

Finally, touching upon the perception created in political circles and public opinion, Miruță summarized the situation they were currently in as 'the arsonist holding those inside responsible' and stated that the solution must come from the source of the problem. He added that the most fundamental reason for USR's publicly proposed plan to split the process in two was that PSD had no logical argument to initiate the process due to the existing trust issue. Reiterating as his final word that the solution lay in reaching an agreement for the current administrators to complete the first phase and then hand over the task, he stated that formulas beyond this would not be sustainable.