Romanian Minister: PNL Party Moved Away From Core Supporters Due to Its Policies

Interim Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu has revealed findings from a study he conducted on the National Liberal Party's (PNL) governmental policies over the last ten years and their impact on the party's electoral base. Predoiu concluded that the PNL has gradually distanced itself from its primary supporters: Romanian entrepreneurs and capital, the very entities that create jobs and generate state revenue.

Predoiu emphasized that this drift was not a consequence of simply participating in government but stemmed from the specific policies the PNL promoted. He argued that the party's declining poll numbers were a direct result of these adopted measures, rather than any issues with governing partners. According to Predoiu, the PNL should have remained in power to implement economic and local administration reforms, as he believes the opposition is ill-equipped to steer the country out of crisis.

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The conclusion is that the party has gradually moved away from its main electoral base – entrepreneurs and Romanian capital, those who create jobs and generate budget revenues – not by simply participating in government, but through the policies it promoted.

The minister further elaborated that Romania's economic model in recent years has been reactive, built "on the fly." He identified key pillars such as consumption (largely import-driven), European funds (PNRR), the Anghel Saligny Program, and timid foreign investment without a coherent strategy for key sectors. Predoiu suggested this model, while having some positive effects from Brussels-generated policies, lacks a sufficient national focus on creation and production.

Predoiu mentioned that the PNL's 2014 governance program, "National Reconstruction. Through ourselves, but alongside our strategic partners," advocated for a local entrepreneurship and foreign investment model. He plans to publish his study soon, suggesting that recent political tensions made its release premature. He believes the study is a technical, rational basis for political decision-making, not a political pretext.

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Romania has functioned in recent years based on an economic model built on the fly, exclusively around a few pillars: consumption (largely based on imports), European funds (PNRR), the Anghel Saligny Program, and foreign investment, the latter in a timid manner and without a coherent plan to stimulate Romania's strategic sectors.