As ALDE has left the ruling coalition on Monday, opting for an electoral alliance with Victor Ponta’s Pro Romania, and PM Dancila announced PSD is staying in power and slammed ALDE’s move, ALDE ministers were preparing their resignations today, except for FM Ramona Manescu, who defied the part’s will and decided to remain in office. Meanwhile, PM Dancila has advanced the proposals for the vacant ministries left by resigning ALDE ministers.
Dancila has labeled ALDE’s actions as an „incomprehensible decision”, accusing Tariceanu’s party of cowardice. As for the replacing ministers, they are: Niculae Bădălău for the Energy portfolio, Ioan Denes – Environment Ministry and Ştefan Radu Oprea – deputy PM for the Parliament Liaison.
At the same time, the premier announced that Ramona Mănescu will remain minister for Foreign Affairs, adding that the other ALDE ministers can go on with their mandates if they want.
In retort, Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that the prime minister had called them coward, but she had not had the courage to reshuffle the Cabinet.
“Mrs. Dancila is very nice for she calls on recruiting ALDE members and she labels us as coward. Well, I proposed Mrs. Dancila to have the courage to come up with the restructuring. She had no courage to restructure the Cabinet, to dismiss half of the secretaries of state, to come up with another ruling programme in parliament…and so on”, ALDE chairman said.
Unlike FM Ramona Mănescu, who decided to remain in the Cabinet despite her imminent ousting from ALDE, Environment minister Gratiela Gavrilescu said she will step down after the Government sitting.
“There is life after ruling, too. I will file my resignation today after the government sitting. We are taking a different course starting today”, Gavrilescu argued.
Ramona Mănescu stated on Monday that she expects she will be ousted from ALDE, yet mentioning she will not join PSD.
Călin Popescu Tăriceanu replied that Mănescu’s decision to remain in the Government is „a political mistake”. ALDE leader said that it is probably most important to her „to be minister for another two weeks”.
“I think Ramona Mănescu makes a political mistake, to remain minister in a government that is to be toppled down. PNL has announced it will file a censure motion, I don’t think the Government cannot save itself anymore. I believe it is more important for her to be minister for another two weeks. We’ ll go into Opposition, so, we’ll definitely vote the censure motion,” Tăriceanu told Antena 3.
UDMR says it won’t endorse a minority gov’t
UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor has stated on Tuesday that his party will not endorse or enter a minority government, thus denying the possibility that UDMR might join Dancila Gov’t after ALDE’s exit.
“We voted a censure motion in June, the motion failed, including with our votes, so there was no majority, 233 votes needed, so nothing has changed. We don’t see now any arguments to endorse a Government that has no parliament support anymore,” Kelemen Hunor pointed out.