Liberal party split over backing new Niculescu government
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The National Liberal Party meets today to decide whether to support Prime Minister-designate Luca Niculescu’s new government in Tuesday’s parliamentary vote. Internal dissent is growing; one county branch has already declared its opposition, while a party vice-president has attacked Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan. Niculescu has spent the morning defending his choices, specifically the inclusion of Marian Neacșu, on the grounds that the party in power gets to choose who represents it.
The government’s proposed program for justice appears to have omitted any specific measures to combat corruption, an oversight that coincides with several new questions regarding public funds. An investigation has flagged an official’s foreign travel costs as equivalent to a ticket to the US, while Voluntari City Hall has spent €2 million on a building from a company linked to a gas station chain. Elsewhere, the Bucharest Court of Appeal has lifted a €100 million seizure on apartments tied to the Nordis corruption case.
Economic data shows the country maintains the highest inflation rate in the European Union, with further price hikes expected for fuel and food. The Social Democrats have responded by proposing the privatization of state-owned companies—a policy they once labeled as undermining the national economy when their predecessors suggested it.