Social Democratic Party (PSD) vice-president Ioan Rus said at a party gathering on Tuesday that the PSD should collaborate with the Democratic Party (PD), the main group supporting President Traian Basescu, in order to form a government of ‘national unity’, PSD parliamentary sources told HotNews.ro.

Ioan Rus is a Cluj-based influential leader of the main opposition party, often at odds with the top leadership of the group including PSD president Mircea Geoana and honorary president Ion Iliescu.

The same sources confirmed that Geoana would agree with such an option.

The gathering brought together central an local leaders of the PSD who discussed for more than four hours about the party failure in the May 19 referendum, when they urged citizens to vote to remove President Traian Basescu from office. Basescu won the victory with a landslide victory.

On Monday, PD and PSD sources said for HotNews.ro that PD leaders Emil Boc and Vasile Blaga started preliminary talks with Ioan Rus and another member of the “Group of Cluj” in the PSD, Vasile Dancu, on the formation of a national union government to include representatives of all parties.

The talks came to a standstill when PSD claimed the seat of prime minister, which PD did not agree with.