Romanian PM: I will not resign if USL coalition breaks, as long as Traian Basescu is still president

Victor Ponta, one of the leaders of the Social Liberal Union USL ruling coalition, recently said that he will not resign from the position of prime minister in case the coalition breaks, unless Traian Basescu also resigns from his presidential seat, as he does not want to give him the opportunity to name a new prime minister. “I will resign only if Basescu resigns,” said Ponta at local TV station Antena 3, writes Mediafax. His statement came after USL leader Crin Antonescu said on TV that in case the USL breaks, Victor Ponta should resign and ask for a new mandate. “Not to mention early elections, which would be correct but not appropriate in the current context,” said Antonescu. USL leaders Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu have openly criticized each other and delivered each other ultimatums in recent weeks, in a situation which threatens to shake the country’s coalition government. Read more about it here. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: gov.ro)