Prime Minister Ponta between Motion and Justice

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has called on the Prime Minister to resign amid a political row involving the latter

Corina Cristea, 08.06.2015, 14:08

Suspected of corruption, the
Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta is in the middle of a row currently
making headlines in international media. Accused of forgery in deeds by private
signature, accessory to recurrent tax evasion and money laundering, crimes he
allegedly committed a few years ago, when he was a lawyer, Victor Ponta was
indicted by the National Anticorruption Directorate.

Moreover, the anticorruption
prosecutors called on the Chamber of Deputies to endorse the start of the
prosecution of the head of government, deputy Victor Ponta, for alleged
conflict of interests. The charges are related to the case involving Social
Democrat senator Dan Sova, a former minister of transport, appointed by the
current prime minister, as the law firms owned by the two signed the contracts
for which Victor Ponta is already being prosecuted.

Against this background,
president Klaus Iohannis has called on the Prime Minister to resign. In my
opinion, this is an impossible situation for Romania: its Prime Minister
charged with criminal offences. The worst for Romania would now be a
political crisis The Prime Minister responded on Facebook, saying that he
will not resign, because he has been appointed by Romania’s Parliament,
therefore only Parliament can dismiss him.

Moreover, in a notification sent
to the foreign partners and media, Ponta claims the case built against him by
the anticorruption prosecutors is purely political and aimed at bringing down
the government. According to the main opposition party in Romania, the National
Liberal Party, the Prime Minister’s decision not to resign is marring the
country’s credibility and has triggered the most serious political crisis in
Romania’s post-communist history, undermining the credibility of the Romanian
government in the eyes of EU structures.

The liberal co-president, Alina
Gorghiu, has sent a message to all the MPs in the ruling coalition saying they
can put an end to the current political crisis by voting on the no confidence
motion filed by the National Liberal party against the government at the end of
last week. In the motion, the government is accused of excess of power by
blocking, last year, the Romanians’ constitutional right to vote, both in the
country and abroad.

The document stresses the fact
that Victor Ponta wanted to become president by deliberately sabotaging the
Romanians living abroad, and he now refuses partial, local and parliamentary
elections, which would occupy the vacancies in both parliament and the local
administration, for various reasons. Together with its partners in the
governing coalition, the Social Democratic Party believes that its leader is
the head of a legitimate government and there is no legal and constitutional
reason that would justify his resignation.