The first political reactions after the sentence for Liviu Dragnea to 3 years and 6 months in jail have surfaced.
USR leader Dan Barna says the darkest period of the past 30 years has come to an end.
“The decision made today by the High Court ends the Liviu Dragnea era, one of the darkest political periods in the past 30 years. Romania is recovering. We return to Europe,” Dan Barna wrote on Facebook on Monday.
In a release, the USR-PLUS Alliance 2020 says the ICCJ decision is proof of the independence of the magistrates.
“Liviu Dragnea has failed, despite all desperate attempts, to kneel the Romanian Justice. In order to get rid of prison and to make his political dossier, Liviu Dragnea used tricks and conducted actions profoundly damaging to the rule of law and democracy. We have all been witnesses, in these two years, to the PSD governance, to the horrors made by him and by his comrades against Justice. With the previous conviction in the Referendum file, Liviu Dragnea should not have been in public life anyway, but in the absence of clear regulations, Romania powerlessly witnessed what he did as the third man in the state. But, right now, we are starting the reconstruction of normality, the Romanians want it and they said it bluntly on Sunday,” Dan Barna said in a statement.
PSD’s Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu said on Monday that the party has to admit the decision made by justice on the PSD chairman and to find solutions to carry on as ruling party.
Pro Romania chairman, former PM Victor Ponta, says he does not rejoice the ICCJ decision on Liviu Dragnea, but it is a good thing the sentence came after the vote on Sunday.
“I do not rejoice on anyone’s problems and I do not comment on criminal sentences. I am glad that the decision comes after the vote on Sunday, which revealed the way Romanians see Liviu Dragnea. I am sorry that this man, blinded by pride and wickedness has pulled along with him, to the precipice, Romania, the Government, the Parliament, a party and the honour of millions of people in good faith!” Victor Ponta wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Raluca Turcan, leader of PNL Deputies, argues on Facebook the Chamber of Deputies plenary should be summoned urgently to replace Liviu Dragnea as speaker.
“The Chamber of Deputies plenary should be urgently summoned to replace Liviu Dragnea in the office of speaker. Justice has been done, Liviu Dragnea will go where he belongs! The liberation of Romania started on Sunday with the vote and continues today with the ICCJ decision. The Parliament leadership should summon this week a plenary sitting to elect a new speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. It is vital that this core institution regains its natural place in democracy, a role that Liviu Dragnea has undermined constantly during his term,” Raluca Turcan wrote on Facebook on Monday.
PSD Deputy Catalin Radulescu, aka ‘AKM Deputy’ shocks by saying rapists can do what they want, as this is the trend.
“You can hit people in the head, could rape, this is the trend in Romania. (…) I never believed in independent justice, if needed we may leave the country, you stay here together with the Securitate people,” Catalin Radulescu said.
“This is the second execution for PSD, after Adrian Nastase. (…) It is an obvious execution, the President’s message was that thieves should go to jail and so on. The world can see how executions are conducted in Romania. They wanted to return us to the ‘50s, now we have returned to the ‘50s,” Radulescu said for Digi 24 TV private broadcaster.
“If you believe our decisions in the past 2 years for farmers and pensioners and doctors were not good, then these people should reject our measures and go along with PNL and USR. It was general hate against chairman Dragnea. PSD was wrong when accepting the referendum at the same time with the election for European Parliament. PSD was sure to win in other conditions. People turned out to vote against Dragnea. PSD will rise from ashes. The doctors who received wages four times higher should return them and leave the country. The pensioners should do the same. The farmers should return the subsidies,” Radulescu said.
PSD Deputy Liviu Plesoianu says the sentence is ‘aberrant’, a message from the institutions of force.
“It is a purely judicial point of view, absolutely aberrant. I understand Liviu Dragnea is the only one sentenced with execution, the rest are suspended sentences or acquittals for various offenses. I understand that those charged with abuse of office have been acquitted and the one charged with instigation to abuse of office has been sentenced, this is a judicial wonder,” Plesoianu said.
PNL’s Rares Bogdan, former journalist with Realitatea TV private broadcaster, says no other political leader has brought Romania close to despair as Liviu Dragnea. “For three and a half years he focused on offenders, on offenders’ rights.