AUR senator says early elections only way out of Romania's political crisis, accuses president of overreach

President Nicușor Dan accused of overreach

In a Sunday interview on Digi24, AUR senator Petrișor Peiu sharply criticised President Nicușor Dan's handling of the ongoing political crisis. Peiu said the president had "managed it very poorly" and had improperly excluded AUR from the executive while letting other parties, representing 80 percent of Parliament, govern. He compared the designation of Adrian Veștea as prime minister without consulting the PNL leadership to the era of King Carol II, calling it "an imposition of personal will, which is unacceptable in a Western-style democracy." Peiu added that the constitutional procedure for suspending the head of state "is always on the table."

“He had to draw a circle and say AUR stays in that circle and all other parties can do what they want, but AUR is banned from the Executive. I think he went outside the zone the authors of the Constitution had in mind.”

AUR pushes for early elections and eyes 2028

Peiu stated that AUR wants early parliamentary elections, arguing that no stable majority can be formed under the current political configuration until the next scheduled vote in 2028.

“We are in a situation where a stable majority cannot be built in Romania, and it will not be possible until 2028. You can see how hard it is for a government to be born.”

He expressed over 90 percent confidence that AUR will be the main governing party after 2028 and will supply the prime minister, with party president George Simion as the first option. Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, though not an AUR member, was named as a possible alternative, given his popularity.

The collapse of the Veștea government

Peiu explained why AUR refused to vote for the Veștea cabinet on 22 June. He said the PSD had been reluctant to establish a transparent institutional relationship with AUR, preferring backchannel talks with individual MPs.

“PSD is reluctant to have a transparent relationship with AUR. They were happy to talk with various of our parliamentarians, but they did not take the direct path: 'Hey, AUR party, shall we have a discussion? Let everyone see us walk into a room together.' They avoided it.”

He told PSD leaders that afternoon that AUR would not support the government, warning that sending Veștea to beg for votes would only humiliate him. AUR insisted that any future collaboration must begin with open, public negotiations.

Grindeanu's PSD cabinet seen as likely to pass

Peiu forecast that if President Dan designates PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu as a third candidate, the new cabinet will be invested, albeit with a fragile majority. He described the parliamentary class as "nerves frayed" and said "everyone is looking for a way out of this situation." PSD, PNL, and UDMR were, in his view, ready for compromises, with UDMR once again acting as kingmaker. PNL would operate in semi-opposition, while USR would become irrelevant. Grindeanu himself had earlier declared: "PSD unanimously decided to assume the responsibility of governing."

AUR positions itself as parliamentary arbiter

Although excluded from the government, Peiu believes AUR will gain influence as an arbiter in parliament.

“All these parties say 'we keep AUR aside.' But I don't know if that weakens AUR's position. Why should AUR stop its adversary when it makes a mistake? It's a convenient position.”

He stressed that AUR is a distinct party, not a PSD satellite, and that its support for the no-confidence motion that toppled the Bolojan government was rooted in economic policy, not personality. The party will now use its votes to shape legislation from the outside.