site.btaJohn Ion Banu-Muscel Will Renounce US Citizenship if He Wins Romanian Presidential Election

Independent presidential candidate John Ion Banu-Muscel, who has lived in the United States for years, says that if he wins the elections he will renounce his American citizenship to show his "full commitment to the Romanian people."

In an interview with AGERPRES, he also says that he wants to restore "the voice of parliament", as he believes that the legislature is currently dominated by the government. John Ion Banu-Muscel proposes that the government should be confirmed by only 33% of the direct vote of the population and also insists that the members of the Constitutional Court should not be political appointees.

Regarding the suspension of the US visa waiver programme, he commented that the decision "is not an American punishment for the country", but only a temporary measure, and suggested that until the US visas are finally abolished, the visa fee for Romanian citizens should be reduced.

As regards the plan to allocate additional funds for defence, the independent candidate believes that the budget in this area should be drastically reduced.

"It is a pity to spend so much money on old aircraft whose maintenance costs us an arm and a leg. Right now, I would rather give our soldiers a tablet than a rifle to run our defense system or drones. After all, the Americans are here to protect their interests, not necessarily Romania's, let's be honest. So I'm in favor of limiting the defence budget," he elaborates.

John Ion Banu-Muschel addresses the voters with a message that it is time to elect a president who "has no obligations nor ties to any existing party doctrine".

"It is time to end this hypocrisy of a president who stands at the centre of a party, is funded by that party, is affiliated to that party, is indebted to that party because he was elected. I very much want my candidacy to be an alternative for the citizens of Romania, in this attempt, let's say, to preserve democracy," he says.