Tăriceanu: PNL Has Lost Its Identity, Could Be Renamed National Socialist Party

Former Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu has sharply criticized the National Liberal Party (PNL), asserting that the party has completely lost its liberal political identity and lacks any ideological direction.

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PNL-ul, însă, are o mare problemă, și anume și-a pierdut complet identitatea politică liberală. De fapt, partidul nu are niciun fel de identitate. Dacă pe frontispiciu, în loc de PNL ar scrie Partidul Socialist Național sau Partidul Național Socialist, ar fi perfect.

In a podcast appearance, Tăriceanu argued that the PNL is a group adrift, suggesting that if its name were changed to the National Socialist Party, it would be a more accurate reflection of its current state. He noted that while current party leader Ilie Bolojan has shown some firmness, this has not translated into political or ideological movement that would help the party grow or retain its electorate.

Tăriceanu further contended that when the PNL is in power, the entire party apparatus becomes engrossed in governance and administration, leaving the political dimension entirely neglected. He contrasted the PNL with the former Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), led by Traian Băsescu, highlighting that while the PD-L may have had a different ideology, it possessed a quality Tăriceanu admired: solidarity, which he feels is absent in the current PNL.

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Dar din punct de vedere politic, ideologic, PNL-ul nu a făcut niciun fel de de mișcare care să îl ajute să crească și să-și mențină un anumit tip de electorat.

This critique comes after Tăriceanu himself was acquitted in June of last year on charges of bribery. Prosecutors had accused him of indirectly receiving $800,000 in 2008 as prime minister from representatives of an Austrian company, Fujitsu Siemens Computers. The alleged bribe was in exchange for actions favoring the company regarding the extension of Microsoft licenses for schools.

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În momentul în care se află la guvernare, „toată masa partidului se ocupă de guvernare și face administrație și lasă componenta politică în complet neglijat”.