PSD's Ciolacu: PSD reconstruction has begun; zero tolerance towards corruption and abuse

The reconstruction of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) has started, and starting today the future of social democracy in Romania will be decided, said, on Saturday, at the extraordinary congress of the party, the interim leader, Marcel Ciolacu.

"Romania needs a powerful left wing. (...) Today, only the PSD represents the Romanian left and its values. Do we want to remain a conservative party, which rather looks backward to its past, or do we want to transform ourselves into a modern party that looks to the future for progress? Romania society has changed. So have the Romanians' expectations. Do we want to listen to the desires of people and their needs today or do we want to stay prisoner to the old ways of doing politics? PSD will continue to defend our grandparents, those vulnerable, mothers and children, youths who are just now walking their own path. But we must look even further. Let us be close to all Romanians in the middle class!", said Ciolacu at the PSD Congress.

He added that there were cases when the work of the Social Democrats was "wasted" by those who thought they could use the PSD "as a key to the doors of justice."

"There are many of you who worked immensely in the party. You had, same as I, good results. You built, same as I, powerful organizations. But there were cases when our work was wasted by those who thought they could use the PSD as a key to the doors of justice. They are not the PSD! They belong to the past. Today, we must break ourselves from this past!," the Social Democrat leader added.

He emphasized that "justice must be done in the courtroom, not in the party, not on TV, not in the palaces of the Presidential Administration."

"The reform of justice must be done by professionals, by magistrates, by the CSM [Superior Council of Magistracy - e.n.], by professional associations. I say it with full responsibility, aware that I may lose the votes of some who see things differently. In my term, PSD will remain strictly on the agenda of Romanians, and justice where it belongs - in the courtroom. Today, we are determined to let the mistakes of the past behind, where they belong. Today, we decide the future of social democracy in Romania! The reconstruction of the PSD has begon. The future of the PSD is tied to defending the values we believe in: solidarity, equity and equal chances for all. The future of the PSD means performance criteria for those occupying public positions," Ciolacu showed.

He also spoke of modernizing the party, of developing collaboration with the Social Democrat family in Europe, and asked for zero tolerance, for the future of the PSD, towards corruption and abuses and emphasized that the PSD has to promote people with competence and integrity.