Adrian Veștea: 'I am a strong person, I did not intend to resign'

Romania's Prime Minister-designate, Adrian Veștea, has declared he has no intention of stepping down, despite facing significant hurdles in securing a parliamentary majority for his proposed government. Veștea asserted that he is a strong individual committed to seeing his efforts through.

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I did not intend to submit my mandate; they were thinking about how I would react. I am a strong person, I have no reservations, and if I have started on a path, I think it is normal to go to the end.

Speaking on România TV, Veștea confirmed recent discussions with President Nicușor Dan, who he said has encouraged him to persist with forming the executive. Veștea firmly rejected any consideration of withdrawing his mandate, stating, "I had discussions today and yesterday. I did not intend to submit my mandate; they were thinking about how I would react. I am a strong person, I have no reservations, and if I have started on a path, I think it is normal to go to the end."

Veștea also indicated that President Dan has not shown any loss of confidence in his ability to form a government. Instead, the President advised him to remain involved, urging parliamentarians to demonstrate responsibility and overcome party-specific interests to vote for the new government. This comes at a time when the Veștea government lacks a clear majority, with major parties like PNL and USR announcing they will not support the new cabinet, and UDMR recommending a 'no' vote.

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He advised me to remain involved, urging parliamentarians to demonstrate responsibility and overcome party-specific interests to vote for the new government.

The Prime Minister-designate further elaborated on the nature of his mandate, stating it is not time-limited. He expressed his support for periodic evaluations of government members, including ministers, suggesting that reshuffling should be a natural consequence if objectives are not met. "This does not mean that there should not be quarterly, semi-annual evaluations where we have certain targets. And I wish for this to happen not only at the prime minister level but even at the ministers' level. And we should not hesitate to reshuffle someone who does not meet the criteria we establish when entering government, starting with me, down to the last minister," Veștea stated.

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This does not mean that there should not be quarterly, semi-annual evaluations where we have certain targets. And I wish for this to happen not only at the prime minister level but even at the ministers' level. And we should not hesitate to reshuffle someone who does not meet the criteria we establish when entering government, starting with me, down to the last minister.