Victor Ponta said Sunday evening on România TV that AUR holds a “huge” electoral advantage ahead of the 2028 parliamentary vote because the party has never governed, unlike PSD, PNL and USR, which have rotated through power for the past 36 years.

“Today, as we speak, AUR will take more than USR and PNL together. It might not work out for them!” the former prime minister said, according to Ziare.com. He rejected a PSD-versus-USR–PNL duel scenario attributed to analyst Cristi Hrițcu and argued the real fight will be PNL–USR against AUR.

In Ponta’s telling, AUR can tell voters it cannot be blamed for today’s failures precisely because it stayed outside governing coalitions, while older parties rotated through PNL–USR–PSD, PNL–USR or cross-votes for Orban and PSD cabinets.

AUR has been politically isolated by a “sanitary cordon” backed by Nicușor Dan, PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR, Ponta recalled. He believes the party now led by Sorin Grindeanu (PSD) will become ever less relevant as the vote approaches.

The former premier tied the electoral outlook to expected economic pressure: he warned next year could bring “a new wave of price rises” and weaker purchasing power, deepening discontent with parties in office.

The next parliamentary election is due in 2028. Ponta’s remarks are a political forecast, not a poll; final scores will depend on campaigning, alliances and the economy over the next two years.

Image: Victor Ponta (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0).

Sources consulted: Ponta: AUR will take more than USR and PNL together — Ziare.com.