Opposition parties continue to trade barbs

The spat between Social-Democrats and Liberals seems to grow ever deeper, the two parties suspecting each other of planning to cut a deal with the ruling Democrat Liberals for power and finding a new reason for disagreement: the International Monetary Fund loan. After Liberal leader Crin Antonescu said Social-Democrats did not carry out the ‘promised reform’ and continue to have the same old leading members surrounded by controversy, another top PNL figure, Varujan Vosganian, criticised the PSD for refusing to meet IMF representatives.


Liberals attended a meeting with the Fund on Tuesday evening, while Social-Democrats refused the invitation, saying it was coming too late and would prove utterly useless. Commenting on the matter, Vosganian said PSD refused the meeting in order not to remind Romanians that it was them who, together with the PDL, signed a loan accord with the IMF. “They bear the same responsibility for the consequences of this accord,” Vosganian said, quoted by Mediafax. Liberal leaders declared themselves unsatisfied with the IMF talks, saying that the Fund “tells the same poem over and over again.”


In turn, Antonescu said that last year, PNL was clear about the need to have economic measures that would not have required an IMF deal, knowing that such a loan would bring about a series of constraints. “At the time, PSD, hand in hand with PDL, had a different option. They made this decision, took this money, took no measures to fight the crisis and things got to where they are now,” he said. Antonescu also suggested that PSD used some of the IMF money in last year’s presidential campaign. The Liberal leader, who came third in the first round of voting, supported the PSD presidential candidate in the runoff against Traian Basescu.


Meanwhile, PSD leader Victor Ponta said in comments for HotNews.ro that he is certain PNL will eventually join the government with the PDL. When asked to explain his comments, Ponta said there is a huge pressure on the party to join the government. “Antonescu goes on TV, he swears at us, but it’s not him who leads the party. PNL is led by no one,” Ponta added.