PM Ponta invites Opposition leaders to talk on financial, electoral and security laws, Constitution revision and Transport master plan

National Liberal Party denies invitation.

PM Victor Ponta on Monday asked for the ruling party permission to invite the National Liberal Party leaders, Alina Gorghiu and Vasile Blaga to talk about financial and electoral legislation, security laws, Constitution revision and the Transport master plan.

The prime minister argued that no progress in amending the electoral legislation is possible without political decisions agreed on. Ponta also said that Transportation, Finance and European funds ministers need to know if they go ahead with the master plan for Transports, as it was agreed with the European Commission.

As for the security laws, Ponta said a discussion is mandatory. “I see we are talking in the media and each of us is talking separately. We all need to get round the table, to assess the Constitutional Court decision and to come to a clear legislative decision,” the Romanian PM said.

In his view, other debate theme is related to the financial and banking legislation, more precisely to what extent the Parliament and the Executive can intervene in the legislation in order to prevent future crisis.

“Now, 75,000 persons are paying for having credits in Swiss francs. But, besides what we can do or not for them, I want to know if Romania fills all European legislative standards so that other possible international financial crisis should affect the Romanian population as less as possible,” PM Ponta pointed out.

He said he would probably send similar invitations to consultations to UDMR and PPDD as well.

In retort, PNL leader Alina Gorghiu said that Victor Ponta is not Romania’s President to set himself up as mediator among political parties. Gorghiu warned that the daily consensus called by Ponta “used to exist only in Ceausescu’s time, when the Parliament and the Government were subordinated to the Romanian Communist Party’s secretary general.”

In a message posted on Twiter later on, PM Ponta replied he was insulted by Gorghiu’s answer. He reminded he proposed a dialogue with the Opposition parties and that all he got was insults and row.