The Save Romania Union (USR), now in opposition, will closely scrutinise all decisions taken by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and put forward an alternative proposal for every 'bad law', party Chairman Dominic Fritz said on Saturday at the USR Congress, where a new National Bureau is being elected.

'Two months ago, PSD drafted a law to remove me from City Hall. I don't think they expected the entire party to gather here, in Timisoara, today. They wanted to humiliate the people of Timisoara and bring USR to its knees, but here we are, standing tall. After ten years of attacks, millions spent on defaming us, legal proceedings against us, elections and votes being annulled, and repeated predictions of our demise, we are still here: a united USR, determined to work for Romanians and keep its promises, regardless of the pressure placed on us,' Fritz said.

He stressed that USR would not help PSD return to power.

'We will not be the means by which PSD returns to power. (...) We cannot simply reach an understanding with PSD; we must challenge it. That is why I found it strange when prime ministerial candidates were proposed to us whose main qualification was their ability to get along with everyone and avoid conflict. How can you stand up for Romanians if you remain passive and diplomatic when PSD starts misusing public funds again?' Fritz said.

He added that USR's confidence in Prime Minister Luca Niculescu would depend on his willingness to reject PSD's demands.

'Every time Luca Niculescu says no to PSD, every time he refuses to sign off on something, we will see whether he is a prime minister who stands with ordinary Romanians or with the privileged. I fear that the relationship between PSD's Sorin Grindeanu and Luca Niculescu will be one in which Grindeanu calls the tune, Niculescu follows his lead, and Romanians foot the bill. (...) After six months, PSD will evaluate the prime minister to see whether he has followed its instructions,' Fritz said.

In his view, PSD will neither reduce government spending nor tackle corruption.

'Look at their government's budget revision, based on their own figures. What does it show? The deficit has fallen. After nine months, it stood at 3.8%. Now they are asking for a second budget revision because ministries want an additional 60 billion lei, money that simply does not exist. Grindeanu went looking for a budget hole and could not find one. Now PSD is creating one. Everyone in Romania knows that PSD will either increase the deficit, which will drive prices up again - this year alone, we are spending more than 12 billion euros of taxpayers' money on interest payments - or raise taxes, which we will oppose with all our strength. What PSD certainly will not do is cut government spending, fight corruption or ensure that public money goes towards quality public services rather than luxury flights. And it will do all this with AUR's covert support,' the USR leader claimed.

Fritz also criticised the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), arguing that it was not genuinely opposed to the political establishment.

'AUR is not anti-establishment. It serves as a safety valve for the system, preventing public anger from being directed at those truly responsible. While we have been doing our work, PSD and AUR have been working together to divert that anger,' he said.

The USR leader went on to outline the reforms his party would pursue in opposition and seek to implement upon returning to government.

'Romania needs genuine administrative reform, not cosmetic changes. It needs economic reforms that put money into people's pockets rather than fund political patronage. Romania needs the rule of law, where no one is above the law and statutes of limitations can no longer be used to escape accountability. It needs strong intelligence services that are accountable to Parliament, without undercover officers operating in politics, the judiciary or the media. USR's proposed reform of the intelligence services has been sitting in the Senate for two years. Romania also needs continued investment in defence so that people living along the eastern border can sleep peacefully, rather than political opposition to SAFE funding. All these measures are part of USR's programme. We will fight for them while in opposition and guarantee their implementation when we return to government,' Dominic Fritz said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Otilia Halunga; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)