PM Victor Ponta Faces a No-Confidence Motion

Victor Ponta finds himself with his back against the wall, in both political and legal terms.

Bogdan Matei, 22.09.2015, 13:57

PM Victor Ponta finds himself with his back against the wall, in both political and legal terms. However, he still relies on a comfortable majority in Parliament, which might help him survive the no-confidence motion to be tabled by the Liberals in opposition next week.

Romania’s first prime minister prosecuted while in office, Victor Ponta, has dismissed both the charges brought by prosecutors against him, and the President’s and Liberal opposition’s calls for his resignation. Under those circumstances, the latter resorted to a no-confidence motion against the Government. The document, signed by 180 MPs, argues that Ponta cannot head the Cabinet after being indicted for corruption offences. The charges against Ponta, including forgery of private documents, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, are related to a case involving legal assistance contracts for the Turceni and Rovinari power companies.

In the same case, the former transport minister in Ponta’s Cabinet, Social Democrat Senator Dan Sova, is prosecuted for accessory to abuse of office, having allegedly cashed in hundreds of thousands of euros for deals that made the State lose over 16 million Euros. The ruling coalition must choose between protecting the interests of the citizens and those of the prime minister, argue the authors of the no-confidence motion.

Here is the leader of the Liberal group in the Chamber of Deputies, Eugen Nicolaescu: “Such a prime minister can hardly represent Romania. Such a prime minister can hardly talk to anyone and achieve anything for our country. If this prime minister remains in power, Romania can be regarded as a country that protects corruption.”

After the cabinets headed by Ponta for the past three and a half years have had no problems passing similar tests, the Liberals believe this no-confidence motion is the first that stands chances to pass, which is why they will negotiate with all parliamentary parties in order to secure the 276 votes required to bring the government down.

But while the MPs from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania are likely to vote in favour of the document, there are no reasons to believe that the ruling coalition, comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Romanian ALDE, will not stick together. So far the coalition has worked flawlessly, and on Monday one of its leaders renewed its commitment to the prime minister.

Somewhat reassured by their statements, Ponta said: “We must go ahead with our governance, because it is a good governance. Not even the Liberals can claim that this is not a good ghovernance, they have a problem with me. But everybody agrees that, in economic and social terms, we do a good job, and we must carry on.”

The motion will be discussed and voted on next week, and according to pundits, only a major twist can fracture the majority that backs the prime minister. However, the same voices argue, there’s nothing politicians in Bucharest love more than a bolt from the blue.