Băsescu: Listen to those who say that Mureşan does not live in Romania. 80% of Romanians who work at PE have a home, family there.

The former president of Romania Traian Băsescu ironizes the public departure of Liea Olguţa Vasilescu, one of the prominent figures of PSD, regarding the fact that the appointed prime minister Sigfried Mureşan does not live in Romania. "All these excuses... Sir, but he does not live in Romania. Well, dear excuses, you must know that 80% of Romanian youth working at the European Parliament have a home, food, family in Belgium or Strasbourg," says the former head of state, who is of the opinion that the current president Nicuşor Dan had no other option in appointing the prime minister, so as not to create the impression that he was approaching PSD. Traian Băsescu says he does not know what chances Sigfried Mureşan has to be appointed prime minister and rejects the idea that his daughter, Elena, or his former advisor Elena Udrea contributed to Mureşan's rise in politics. "I don't know (what are the chances of being elected prime minister - n.r.) here, I don't want to enter into analysis, but I wanted to clarify the things related to Sigfried Mureşan, we heard that it was either Elena Udrea who brought him, or Elena Băsescu... No! I met him, I saw him a few times and I said: take him, he is a man with whom we don't make fools of ourselves in Brussels," Traian Băsescu stated on Sunday evening, on România TV, according to News.ro. The former head of state ironizes the social democrat Olguţa Vasilescu after she drew attention to the fact that the appointed prime minister Sigfried Mureşan does not live in Romania. "Appointing a government led by Mureşan would be a great gain in nature of the relations he has in Brussels." "Sigfried Mureşan was born in Romania, was educated in Romania and all these excuses... Sir, but he does not live in Romania. Well, dear excuses, you must know that 80% of Romanian youth working at the European Parliament have a home, food, family in Belgium or Strasbourg, or... no longer live in Romania because they are well paid and have the conditions to live there as long as they are working at the European Parliament or the Commission," added Băsescu. The former head of state is of the opinion that Nicuşor Dan had no other option regarding the appointment. "Nicuşor Dan is in a difficult situation, that is, he is accused of having encouraged Grindeanu to remove the government led by Bolojan, and now there was the option of Grindeanu or the PNL proposal, Sigfried Mjureşan. In my opinion, he had no alternative but to appoint Sigfried Mureşan, to keep the idea of partnership with the right and not with PSD," considers Traian Băsescu. Băsescu insists that, from the point of view of Romania, appointing a government led by Mureşan "would be a great gain in nature of the relations" that he has in Brussels. "Ursula negotiates the budget with him, not with me, not with you, not with Olguţa Vasilescu, not with Grindeanu, the Parliament is represented by him in the budget issue. And then the 2028-2034 budget is made, but the annual budgets that are negotiated are also by, Mr. Siegfried Mureşan with the Commission," argues the former president. Editor: Liviu Cojan