Financiarul

Sorin Oprescu, independent candidate in the November 22 presidential election, says in his electoral programme there are three fundamental problems facing Romania: poverty, bad governance and corruption.

He says there is causality between these issues: ‘we are poor because we have been badly governed; we are badly governed because we have been led by corrupted people who only cared about their own vested interests; corruption exists because justice, the state institutions and the public administration do not function well.’
That is why his attention will focus particularly on the functioning of the judiciary, the police and the intelligence services.

Among his priorities are developing the private sector, outsourcing and streamlining the state bureaucracy. Under his tenure, the Government would reduce public debt and inflation and the state apparatus would improve efficiency.
Oprescu believes an overhaul of the current political system is needed by increasing citizen’s participation in governance. Likewise, he will start a wide nationwide debate to review and modernise the Constitution.

‘I will make the Romanian Presidency into a place for serious and good-faith efficient debates to modernise the political, administrative and economic system. And your vote for me, an independent candidate, will make possible the rebirth of Romania,’ Oprescu says in his electoral programme.
His plan to get the country out of the economic crisis comprises assistance for small income people, mainly pensioners, the unemployed and young people, as well as for job creators through tax exemptions, increasing efficiency in public spending and earmarking a larger percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for investment.

In the area of foreign policy, the priorities of his term in office would be capitalising on the EU and NATO memberships to the benefit of Romanian citizens; recovering relations with the neighbour countries – Moldova, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Western Balkans; serving the interests of Romanians abroad; continuing the strategic partnerships with the influent powers in the Euro-Atlantic area; regaining influence in traditional areas of Romanian diplomacy and entering new zones.
Oprescu believes Romanians need a strong and functional state free of politicking, inviting them to join him in making ‘true history.’