Romanian Democrat Liberals Stick To Choice Of Right-Winged Govt

Boc also said Friday, after a meeting with Hungarian minority party leaders, that he has invited liberals to talks to form the country's government ever since last year, adding the offer still stands.

Boc stressed the country's future political majority and government should be based on a majority of democrat liberals, liberals and the Hungarian minority or democrat liberals and the Hungarian minority.

"It is important that we establish a governing coalition, as nothing is worse than a climate of political instability," Boc said, adding democrat liberals along the Hungarian minority party can form the nucleus of the country's future ruling power.

In turn, Hungarian minority party leader Marko Bela said forming a government backed by a stable majority in Parliament, able to impose an anti-crisis program, is a top priority now.

Marko also said his party is open to various political coalitions, stressing, however, it prefers to team up with liberals.

Romania's incumbent President Traian Basescu was reelected for a new five-year term Sunday. Basescu obtained 50.33% of the votes in the election runoff and social democrat Mircea Geoana got 49.66%, according to final results released Monday by the Central Electoral Bureau after counts in all polling stations.

Although Basescu's centrist democrat liberals have the most seats in Parliament, 167, that is not enough to push through a new prime minister to replace Boc, whose Cabinet collapsed mid-October in a no-confidence vote. Romania needs to have a stable government with full powers to start getting further disbursements of a EUR20 billion IMF-led bailout loan it relies on. However, Basescu's democrat liberals will have to seek political compromise because a new Cabinet needs 236 lawmaker votes to pass.

Both Basescu and democrat liberal officials have said their first choice of government would be a right-wing one. The country's right-wing Liberal Party backed the social democrat contender in the presidential race and were hoping to form a new Cabinet headed by Sibiu mayor Klaus Johannis.

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