Latest News: PSD quits the Governing coalition

Social-Democratic Party leader Mircea Geoana announced this morning that PSD was leaving the governing coalition. „Our entire ministerial group, showing solidarity with Dan Nica, is ready today to announce their resignation from the government. All our ministers are going today to submit their resignations. Traian Basescu managed to do again what he has been doing for five years – provoke a political crisis, on top of the economic one. He’s the main responsible”, Geoana said.

The decision was reached by PDS after Romania’s incumbent president signed Dan Nica’s dismissal from the Interior Ministry leadership. The social-democrats announced earlier that if their minister would be sacked from his Interior Ministry role, they would leave the Government.

After PSD ministers submitted their resignations to the Government, Dan Nica spoke on their behalf:

• „Throwing Romania in this political crisis, on top of the economic crisis, will have serious consequences. President Basescu, PM Boc and PDL are responsible for this.”

• „I for one have never accepted and will never accept that theft is characteristic for this country, therefore I tried to oppose electoral fraud. I tried to stop theft and this is the response I get – dismissal.”

• „Each of my colleagues has carried out their duties according to the agreement, trying to handle the situation in a time of crisis, with the little resources available, especially when they have been arbitrary blocked.”

• „We will see each-other again in December, when we’ll try to restart Romania.”

„PSD will do as decided”, was the PSD leader Mircea Geoana’s first reaction after Traian Basescu signed the decision to sack Interior minister Dan Nica on Thursday morning. Immediately after that, Mircea Geoana called all PSD ministers to the Senate to discuss breaking the governing coalition.

The coalition crisis officially started in the beginning of this week, when PM Emil Boc announced his intention to lay off Interior minister Dan Nica and requested that PSD nominated another person for the role. The social-democrats refused, letting the PM know that their only proposal for the role of vice-PM and Interior minister was Dan Nica.

The Government’s speaker gave a 24-hour deadline to PSD members on Monday to come up with a different person. A day later, after social-democrats refused to conform, Emil Boc sent President Basesu a proposal of dismissing Dan Nica and replacing him, temporarily, with Vasile Blaga, President Basescu’s campaign chief.

HotNews.ro will keep you informed on the Romanian political crisis.