PM: Liberals crusade for MPs head hunting, President knows

Prime Minister Victor Ponta said there is an ongoing MPs head hunting campaign deployed by the National Liberal Party in order to force a majority shift in Parliament. The premier made this statement during a B1TV show on Wednesday night, also assessing that president Klaus Iohannis knows this thing, which is not unusual as the head of state will have to designate another premier in the event of this shift.

Asked if President Iohannis knows about this head hunting campaign, Ponta said while laughing: “I suppose he does, he must read this in the newspapers or Gorghiu (PNL co-president) must have informed him, he surely knows that, but this is not unusual. After all, if there is a majority shift, he will have to designate another prime minister who should have a new majority by his side.”

Intelligence service topic

Commenting on Elena Udrea’s recent statements about the interim head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, PM Ponta said he did not have a necessarily very good relationship with Florian Coldea. Further on, he toned down his statement explaining they have a strictly professional institutional relation, and not a personal friendship one, as he used to have with the resigning SRI director, George Maior. (For further details on Maior-Ponta relationship we suggest you to read our editorial published three weeks ago: http://www.romaniajournal.ro/not-much-sleep-for-pm-ponta-after-maiors-resignation/)

PM Ponta also stated he has not talked yet with President Iohannis about the new intelligence directors’ nomination, mentioning that PSD is supporting the idea that they should not to be mixed up in politics. He underlined that the only thing he praised during Traian Basescu’s term is that the former president appointed persons from the oppositions to run the intelligence services. “Now, I am not dreaming that Iohannis will nominate someone from PSD-of course I would like that- but it is precisely why I think that a compromise solution is a rational and possible option,” Ponta said.

Questioned if the intelligence services involved in the last presidential campaign in November last year, the head of the Executive said he would not comment that.