President Traian Basescu asked for the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta Thursday in a press statement, whom he argued was "completely discredited in the EU", and accused him of seeking to be again prime minister "in a patched up government ".
"Even if I am at the end of my term in the office, for Romania’s sake, I am publicly asking Victor Ponta to assume the responsibility of making a new government, which he should not be part of. (...) I urge Mr. Victor Ponta to understand that he has become a burden on Romania’s back", Traian Băsescu said.
Basescu said that Romania should continue the IMF agreement in order not to go back to the "infamous period of the late 90s."
"I think that if the IMF agreement is not continued, it will be a big black ball for the IMF too. It would be the first time a country comes out weaker in terms of fiscal consolidation than it entered, and that's the responsibility of the IMF too, of the European Commission and the World Bank, " Traian Basescu said.
The main statements by Traian Băsescu:
I will express a few points of view related to what is about to happen in the political life.
I can notice that Victor Ponta has entered the frenzy phase of the new Government, to try and change the overall impression by gathering crumbs from all over the place
Maybe it's legitimate, especially since the UDMR has announced - and probably on the 13 it will become a reality - that they will withdraw from the government, for reasons known only by them. In any case, the reason is not related to the sensitivity that they have acquired after the electorate’s vote, too many were insensitive.
Politician Ponta is completely discredited inside the EU. His presence as head of the Government is nothing but a reason for discrediting Romania
The elements to the support of my statements are his very actions.
In Europe, they did not forget the fact that he was the planner of the 2012 coup.
Then he reconfirmed his inclination towards democracy deprivation in the presidential election, when, although by law the responsibility for elections holding lies with the Government, not in the 1st round nor in the 2nd, they failed to assure the proper conditions for the Romanians to be able to exercise their right to vote. Nobody believes it was an accident. Everyone thinks it was a blockage caused by the Government.
The third thing is his plagiarism which add up to his image as prime minister. There has never been a minister or state official who would not resign when accused of plagiarism
Ponta want to be prime minister again in a patched up Government.
"Even if I am at the end of my term in the office, for Romania’s sake, I am publicly asking Victor Ponta to assume the responsibility of making a new government, which he should not be part of. (...) I urge Mr. Victor Ponta to understand that he has become a burden on Romania’s back", Traian Băsescu said.
Today we heard from the Premier an appeal for consensus, saying it was a real consensus about the CAS reduction and that the effect was very good. I remember that it was not in agreement with me, I warned him that he would encounter major problems in making up the budget. I know he is in trouble, I do not know how he will solve them, but I would not want the resolution to be an interruption of the IMF agreement.
Romania has long past the stage where it was not able to carry out an agreement with the Fund. I would not want us to go back to the period of sad memory of the late 90s. I think that if the IMF agreement is not continued, it will be a big black ball for the IMF. It would be for the first time when a country comes out weaker in terms of fiscal consolidation than it has entered, and that's the responsibility of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank
I am warning Victor Ponta that he cannot change the royalties. They have values between 3% of the extracted gas or oil, up to 13%. To change it you have to talk with the 44 concessionaires in Romania and to obtain the consent of them all. What the law stipulates for Victor Viorel in privatization law is strictly related to OMV Petrom and is not applicable to other companies that have concessions. When they made the investment plans, they have made on the basis of royalties under the law.