Romania’s “Die Hard” Prime Minister survives another no-confidence motion

Four no-confidence motions in the Parliament, a plagiarism scandal, and an official indictment for forgery and accessory to tax evasion and money laundering haven’t been able to remove Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta from leading the country. Romania’s Parliament rejected a no-confidence motion against Victor Ponta’s cabinet on Tuesday, September 29, the fourth one since he took office in May 2012. The motion, which was filed by the National Liberal Party (PNL), was backed by 207 MPs while only 8 voted against it. However, the Opposition’s initiative didn’t gain enough support, as it needed 276 votes to pass. The Social Democratic Party – PSD’s MPs didn’t vote on the motion, and neither did their governing allies from the National Union for Romania’s Progress (UNPR). Victor Ponta might thus end the year as Prime Minister and even finish his mandate, which ends in November 2016, despite the Opposition’s efforts to remove him. His future as head of the Government was in balance at the beginning of this year, after he lost the presidential elections to Klaus Iohannis, but the liberals weren’t able to capitalize on Iohannis’ victory and negotiate another majority in the Parliament to change the Government. Ponta has managed to regain some ground after coming with several fiscal relaxation measures, including the VAT rate cut on food from 24% to 9%, starting June 1, and the general VAT rate cut from 24% to 20% starting January 1, 2016. Still, he was under a lot of pressure at the end of June, when the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started an investigation on him for forgery and accessory to tax evasion, as well as influence peddling. The President asked him to resign, DNA asked the Parliament to allow it to investigate him, and PNL filed a no-confidence motion against him, but the parliamentary majority shielded him and kept him in power. Ponta later resigned as president of the Social Democratic Party and announced he wouldn’t run for another PM mandate next year when his term ends. editor@romania-insider.com