The National Liberal Party (PNL) on Tuesday accused the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of 'putting public television in the hands of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)', following a decision by the joint Standing Bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate on the appointment of interim heads of Romanian Television and public radio, namely journalist Sorina Matei and Razvan Dinca.

'PSD took an extremely serious step today: it voted for AUR's proposal for the leadership of public television. This is not simply an appointment. It is the result of a political agreement between PSD and AUR, through which the Social Democrats have decided to place one of Romania's most important information institutions in the hands of an extremist party. Today's vote confirms what we said a week ago: PSD and AUR are working together and voting for each other's people and interests. This time, however, the stakes are much higher: national television,' PNL said in a statement.

The Liberals said TVR is an institution funded by all Romanians and a source of information for millions of people, adding that 'at a time when Romania borders a war and disinformation and propaganda represent real threats, control over public information cannot become the currency of a political bargain between PSD and extremist forces'.

'This is all the more serious because AUR consistently promotes anti-European messages and adopts narratives that undermine Romanians' trust in state institutions, the European Union and Romania's strategic partnerships. PSD must publicly explain why it chose to put national television in the hands of extremist forces and what it received in return. Ensuring that Romanians are properly informed is a matter of national interest and national security. TVR is not PSD's television and it is not AUR's television. It is the television of all Romanians,' PNL added.

In a Facebook post, PNL MP Raluca Turcan said that, for the second time in a week, 'PSD and AUR have joined forces and divided up positions through a vote in Parliament'.

'This time, they have got their hands on TVR and public radio. PSD takes public radio, AUR takes TVR. Quite an arrangement for two parties that quarrel so convincingly in front of the cameras! If we had finally received a report from the Presidential Administration on the annulment of the presidential election and the Russian Federation's hybrid attack on Romania, on the mechanisms used to manipulate, spread propaganda and contaminate the public information space, I am convinced that AUR's new proposal for TVR would have featured prominently on that list. This is an extremely serious matter, because who runs public television and what guarantees exist for its editorial independence are issues that also concern Romania's democratic security,' Turcan said.

She accused PSD and AUR of turning the two public broadcasters into 'bargaining chips in a PSD-AUR political deal', adding: 'I am increasingly convinced that what we are actually witnessing are the first episodes of a broader political bargain aimed at installing a PSD-AUR government.'

The joint Standing Bureaus of Parliament on Tuesday approved new interim leadership appointments at the Romanian Television Corporation (SRTv) and Radio Romania Actualitati (RRA).

Razvan Dinca was nominated president-director general of the public radio broadcaster, while journalist Sorina Matei was appointed director general and chair of the Board of Directors of SRTv. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Alina Novaceanu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)