Traian Basescu once again became a person who uses lies,” said the premier.
Premier Victor Ponta launched Sunday evening, on Antena 3, a new series of accusations against President Traian Basescu. Ponta said that the head of state recently toured the country to campaign for Elena Udrea and for “the others surrounding him.” “He is on electoral campaign for Ms. Udrea, for the others around him. If I believe that it is legitimate to pay from public funds the trips of the president of the country (…) this is something normal (…) But to pay for the electoral campaign of Ms. Udrea, I naturally find it completely abnormal, if not illegal,” Ponta added. He noticed that President Basescu and Deputy Elena Udrea defend each other when they are criticised. “This is how things go with them: You hit one, they shout both!” If a criticise Ms. Udrea, it’s Mr. Basescu who jumps, if I criticise Mr. Basescu I saw that Ms. Udrea jumps to defend him. I cannot but appreciate this incredible team, but beyond this they can do whatever team they want,” the premier mentioned, saying that he is convinced that Basescu will try to leave Udrea in his place when his mandate will end. “I am convinced that they stand no chance and live in a world of their own, they have nothing to do with the real Romania. And I think that President Basescu behaves like he doesn’t care what about will come after him. If Udrea does not become president, Romania can as well go to hell. Or, it is my duty, also that of Crin and the others, to try and build (…) even under this permanent attack,” Ponta added. The premier also explained that tensions have always existed between government and President Traian Basescu, sometimes more visible, other times not so obvious, and that he is counting since 2004 the days left from the president’s term of office. “Last year, after the decision of CCR that restored Mr. Basescu to office, it was rather obvious that we must wait until the end of his mandate. (…) As I am an optimistic person, I am counting the remaining days since December 2004, when Mr. Basescu took office and how many bad things he has done since then. (…) It will be a difficult time, but yes, I am prepared to resist the 68 weeks (remaining until the end of his term),” Ponta said. He also blamed Basescu for resuming his old bad habits these last months. “I see the last 2-3 months in a clear connection with the clear wish to make new political parties, new political movements for the candidacy of Ms. Udrea in the presidential elections, Mr. Basescu once again became 100 pc Basescu, someone who uses lies (…).”
No salary rises, no tax increases
According to PM Ponta, there would be no salary rises in 2013 and taxes and fees will not increase till the end of this year. “Till the end of this year no taxes will increase. It is only the excise for yachts, clocks and watches and alcohol. If somebody scolds me for increasing the excise for clocks and watches in order to cut the VAT for bread, I am quite happy,” the Premier said. In a different move, Ponta declared himself ready to rake over the economic ideas launched by PDL, if they prove to be good, emphasising that the opposition must come with such constructive ideas instead of “curses, scandal and naked photos on the beach,” as is the case with Basescu and Udrea. “Without any kind of irony or political polemics, I saw yesterday PDL, which is the opposition party, launching some economic ideas. (…) If they prove to be serious, I frankly tell it, I want to discuss with Mr. Predoiu or whomever might be, tell them to bring (these ideas) along.”
I’ll countersign the decree on withdrawing Tokes’ decoration
PM Ponta announced in the same TV show that he would countersign the decree on withdrawing Laszlo Tokes’s decoration – the Star of Romania. “I learnt that the President received a request to withdraw the decoration from Laszlo Tokes. Tomorrow I will sent a letter to the President, and I also say that publicly, in which I will announce him that I will too countersign the decree on withdrawing Laszlo Tokes’s decoration [the Star of Romania)”, Ponta said. He explained that in the past few years the Hungarian ‘fascists extremist’ Jobbik Party has been approaching a nationalist discourse, while, in Romania, Traian Basescu ‘has built the alternative to the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, Laszlo Tokes and the Hungarian Civic Party’.
