PSD's Grindeanu offers to sign government deal instantly, PNL's Motreanu asks: 'But will you respect it?'
Sorin Grindeanu says he would sign a political agreement with PNL and USR on the spot if the liberals back a PSD minority government, drawing a sharp retort from Dan Motreanu, who recalled past broken commitments.
Grindeanu's high-stakes offer
Romania's stalled government negotiations took a theatrical turn on 1 July when PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu declared he would sign a political accord with PNL and USR "on the spot" during a press conference at the Palace of the Parliament. The catch: PNL, led by interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan, must vote to install a PSD minority government with Grindeanu at its helm. The offer came after weeks of deadlock over who should lead the next executive, with PNL, USR, and UDMR having proposed Siegfried Mureșan for the post.
Now, on the spot, I'll sign it. Let Bolojan come and sign it too. Let Bolojan come with Dominic Fritz and sign it. Let Bolojan come and sign and vote for the PSD minority government.
PNL's counter: trust over signatures
PNL first vice-president Dan Motreanu immediately pushed back on Facebook, questioning whether any signature from PSD could be trusted. He pointed to a previous governing program and political agreement that, in his view, the social democrats had failed to honour.
Sorin Grindeanu wants an agreement with PNL: 'Now, on the spot, I'll sign it!' You sign it, but will you also respect it? We have already had a signed governing program and political agreement. It is not enough to sign them; you also have to respect them.
The exchange exposed the deeper rift between the two largest parties, which governed together in a coalition until recent months. Motreanu's reply was widely covered by Romanian media, framing Grindeanu's offer as a PR gesture rather than a credible compromise.
Bolojan in the crosshairs
Grindeanu also unleashed a series of accusations against Ilie Bolojan, blaming him personally for the political stalemate. The PSD leader claimed that Bolojan had taken over PNL "on a personal basis," purged long-time liberals, and replaced them with members who had previously belonged to AUR, S.O.S. Romania, or POT. Grindeanu further accused Bolojan of deliberately sabotaging Romania's economy by dragging out the crisis.
Romania needs stability, not petty political egos. I assure everyone, including the dismissed prime minister Bolojan, that PSD will be the only real anchor of stability in all this political chaos. … Whoever prolongs this crisis is actually sabotaging Romania's economy.
President Nicușor Dan has said he will not designate a prime minister until there is a clear parliamentary majority capable of confirming a government, effectively freezing the process until a deal is reached. PSD currently holds 127 seats, well short of a majority.
AUR and the question of extremist votes
In a separate set of remarks, Grindeanu was asked about potential cooperation with the nationalist AUR party. He said he respects AUR voters (many of whom, he noted, were once PSD voters) but ruled out any formal collaboration with AUR leader George Simion. However, he did not categorically exclude the possibility of individual AUR parliamentarians voting for a PSD cabinet, noting that their previous walkout during a confidence vote could change.
I respect AUR voters. In this moment, those who keep Ilie Bolojan in office are AUR and George Simion. Through what they have done in recent weeks, they are the ones who have kept him there.
Grindeanu was reluctant to label AUR's elected representatives as extremists, saying he had seen actions that could fit that description but he could not characterize their entire politics that way.
