Temperature rising within Romania's ruling coalition USL, PM Ponta gives ultimatum

Tension has been mounting amidst Romania's ruling coalition the Social Liberal Union, and this time the disagreement is out in the open, and with a deadline attached. The National Liberal Party PNL has been given until Monday, May 20 by its coalition partners the Social Democratic Party PSD to take measures against a PNL member who did not respect the coalition agreement. Pundits have been expecting troubles within the political marriage, but while commentators argued the USL would break in the past for various misunderstandings, both its leaders, PNL's Crin Antonescu and PSD's Victor Ponta – the country's Prime Minister – officially found a way to continue. This time however Ponta gave Antonescu until Monday to take measures against Sorin Rosca Stanescu, a PNL member who recently accused the PSD of being on a mission to bury an investigation into the activity of a judge. Stanescu earlier resigned from a Parliamentary commission set up to investigate the judge. The PM cited the USL agreement, which does not allow public conflicts between members of the two parties in the Union, nor public attacks against colleagues or the other alliance party. Antonescu said whoever clearly breaks the USL protocol will have to part ways with USL and the party in the future, but Ponta asked for a more drastic approach, as the culprit had not been sanctioned in any way. On Monday, when the next USL reunion is set, the PM expects a clear delimitation, as others in the PNL could also jump on the boat of attacking the PSD, knowing they will not be sanctioned. “We're not in the situation to give each other ultimatums. What the PNL had to decide and say, it decided and said,” PNL leader Crin Antonescu said. editor@romania-insider.com