Romanian Liberals warn against Social Democrats' alleged hidden ties with nationalist AUR
<p>One week before the first round of the presidential elections in Romania and two weeks before the parliamentary ballot, the leader of Romania's junior ruling Liberal Party (PNL) and a presidential candidate, <strong>Nicolae Ciucă</strong>, took one more chance to argue vocally that only his party can send the senior ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) and the nationalist AUR into opposition and bring prosperity to the country.</p>

<p>His rhetoric comes along the lines of a narrative that the Social Democrats are boosting the support of nationalist leader George Simion, such as to bring him to the second round of the presidential elections where Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu would play the role of the moderate leader preferable to his radical rival.</p>

<p>The narrative, dubbed by Ciucă as the "Hrebenciuc plan" after the name of an influential Social Democrat leader Viorel Hrebenciuc, also implies the two parties (PSD and AUR) would rule together.</p>

<p>Liberal Ciucă positioned himself as the defendant of the middle class "with liberal and conservative values" and pleaded for a right-wing government to bring abundance to all Romanians, implying that voting for other right-wing candidates would only help the Social Democrats and nationalists achieve their goal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Like any other party running in the parliamentary elections, he ruled out any tax rate hike after the polls.</p>

<p>"PNL is the most credible party when we talk about economic measures, support for the middle class, for entrepreneurs and innovation. The only useful vote for Romanians on the right, for Romanians with liberal and conservative values, ​​is (...) a vote for PNL in the first round [of the presidential elections]. Only PNL can break the toxic plan of PSD and AUR," Nicolae Ciucă said on November 16 in Cluj-Napoca, quoted by <a href="https://www.bursa.ro/nicolae-ciuca-doar-pnl-poate-sparge-planul-toxic-dintre-psd-si-aur-89449354?mc_cid=b9aa2a6061&amp;mc_eid=cd1f92f96c" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bursa.ro</a>.</p>

<p>"Social Democrats, if you care even a little about democracy in Romania, abandon the Hrebenciuc plan and go back to what you said at the beginning of the year about the extremist project. (...) What is happening these days is a lesson for us, those on the right, that we must put aside our pride and send AUR and PSD into the opposition. We need a right-wing government to stabilise the economy and put the country on the path to its accelerated development, from which every Romanian can benefit. We must, therefore, send the PSD into the opposition because they want power for the sake of power, money, and immunity," he added.</p>

<p><em>iulian@romania-insider.com</em></p>

<p><em>(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)</em></p>