Two defections from PDL, one from UNPR in one day. Three former Democrat-Liberals to support the motion against the government.
Two more Democrat-Liberals left PDL yesterday – head of PDL’s Giurgiu branch Marin Anton, who is also secretary of state within the Environment Ministry, and MP Florentin Gust, a person known for switching parties. Anton’s future political plans are yet unknown, as for Gust, he will return to PSD, the party he left in 2011. Gust is not the only one to return in PSD. According to PSD Ilfov branch, UNPR vicepresident Florentin Pandele also decided to come back to the Social-democrat camp. In retort, PDL leaders said the defectors who would try to come back to PDL after local elections would not be taken back by the party.
On the other hand, the Social Liberal Union (USL) is counting precisely on PDL and UNPR defectors and on other independent MPs to support the no confidence vote Friday in Parliament. At this point, the opposition can count on 151 votes in the lower Chamber and 70 in the Senate, 221 in total, meaning that the fate of the Government may be decided by the non-affiliated MPs and by possible further defectors from the majority.
The co-president of the opposition, the Social Democrat leader Victor Ponta yesterday admitted that USL has not yet the votes to secure the adoption of the motion, but that it’s still a long time until Friday. So far the only non-affiliated MPs who have clearly said they would support the no-confidence vote are Marian Avram, who resigned from PDL a month ago and Mircia Giurgiu, expelled from PDL after supporting a censure motion against the Boc Cabinet in 2010 and Florentin Gust. The rest of them would not disclose how they would vote on the motion on Friday.On the other hand, political sources are speculating the Social-Democrats have no interest in the motion to be actually adopted because they would not want to take over the government right now.
