Mayor Firea:I'm not running for Romania Presidency, don't want to take over PSD leadership

Bucharest Mayor, Vice President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD, main at rule) Gabriela Firea said on Saturday she will not run for Romania's Presidency, and yet she expressed hope that PSD will have its own candidate for the presidential election.

Firea asserted in southeastern Neptun that she informed the PSD national leader Liviu Dragnea that she has no intention to run for Romania's Presidency.

"Mr. President said he neither will run for Romania's Presidency and that together we shall discuss the possibility to having a joint PSD-ALDE (ALDE, the minor at rule Alliance of Liberals and Democrats) candidate in the person of Mr. Popescu-Tariceanu, which is pleasing, but I want to tell you that only two or three people in the hall applauded," Firea said.

Bucharest Mayor said she appreciated the ALDE chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, and that the latter would make "an extraordinary president of Romania", but believes that the PSD members couldn't accept for their party to not have their own candidate.

"I have great esteem for Mr. Tariceanu and he would make an extraordinary president of Romania, but for PSD, for the hundreds of thousands of PSD members across the country to see their party not having a viable candidate and getting joyful that it has alternative from a governing partner with a lower score in polls, it is a moment of great sadness. It is a historic moment in the negative way. PSD, the Left in Romania has always had a candidate for Romania's Presidency. Winner or not, it is the Romanians right to vote the one who is good for President," Gabriela Firea added.