USR PLUS Co-Chairman Dan Barna announced on Friday that negotiations within the ruling coalition had failed, as each formation maintained its stance and no common ground could be reached, so they submitted the censure motion against PM Florin Citu.
“The no-confidence motion has just been submitted,” Barna said in a statement at the Palace of Parliament, announcing that USR PLUS ministers will resign at the beginning of next week.
In his turn, USR PLUS Co-Chairman Dacian Ciolos pointed out that the party wants to continue to be part of the governing coalition, along with PNL and UDMR, but under another Prime Minister.
“We can no longer work with Prime Minister Citu because he no longer inspires confidence,” Ciolos argued.
On the other camp, Prime Minister Florin Citu said he feels “harassed” by the fact that USR PLUS ministers did not attend the government meeting, and explained that he was “blackmailed” when he was told that the local spending program “Anghel Saligny” will not get the the consent until the bill on the abolition of the Section for Investigating Magistrates (SIIJ) is passed.
“I was blackmailed when they told me that the draft regulatory act will not get the approval until a bill to dismantle the SIIJ is passed, and I made every effort and supported any measure coming from the Justice Ministry to abolish the SIIJ. Now, I just feel harassed, it’s the Romanians who should feel blackmailed,” Citu said.
In connection to the ultimatum USR PLUS Co-Chairmen Dacian Ciolos and Dan Barna have given him to hand in his resignation, Citu said that he has the support of the National Liberal Party.
The Prime Minister said that it is strange that a motion is filed against one’s own government.
“I don’t want us to get there. It would be sad for Romania. USR colleagues, people I rallied in the street with against Ordinance 13, against Dragnea, against … extremists like those from the party they associate with today,” the Prime Minister said.
The government adopted on Friday the emergency ordinance (OUG) for the approval of the Anghel Saligny National Investment Programme, despite the absence of the USR PLUS ministers.