SPIEGEL Interview with Romanian Prime Minister Ponta: 'I Haven't Communicated Well En

[sysop]

The European Union has been deeply critical of Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta's leadership. In an interview with SPIEGEL he speaks of his relationship to the Romanian judiciary, how Europe has misunderstood him and his dream of battling those who would trod on human rights.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...845850,00.html

[e0000t]

Mr Ponta is a dangerous man. Or, rather, a weak man associated with corrupt businessmen and politicians from Romania, whose interest is in protecting themselves from the law. Mr Basescu is no angel, but under his leadership the system of justice in Romania has become much, much stronger, up to the point (previously unimaginable) of convicting a previous corrupt PM and sending him to jail. Mr Ponta, in reaction, went to visit that PM in jail and defended him publicly, while an entire country knew that the conviction was fully deserved. Mr Ponta is a dangerous man doing the bidding of dangerous people. Democracy in Romania is in danger, and Europe should keep its eyes on it. Fortunately, there is a smaller nucleus of politicians (like Mr Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, Mr Baconschi) and intellectuals, and of democratic-minded people (small entrepreneurs, educated people), who are fighting in defense of a European, rule-of-law Romanian state.

[adrian]

This government and the RO parliament have to be deeply monitored by EU.
Who works in the background and plans all the dangerous steps done in the past few weeks?
Fact is, the "coup d'čtat" started after one of the prominent member of Ponta's party and former PM got the final condemnation for corruption - a positive sign that the justice in RO started to work independently, but also an alert for other corrupted politicians.

[adoracraiova]

The prime minister Victor Ponta is the most trustable person in this new Romanian government.
Maybe you'd be surprised, but in fact he returned the laws and reglementations as they were before the president Basescu changed the.
Basescu changed them stealthily and you did not know them.
Now we'll have elections and we'll see the truth, but the ex. president Basescu is using all the tricks that an unfair man can use to remain in his position.
Basescu asked for 50%+1 quorum on referendum, even if he didn't want this rule in 2007, when he was for the first time suspended.
So, V. Ponta and the new team established the 50%+1 quorum.
Now - about an hour ago, in the 24th of July - president Basescu asked for his supporter NOT TO vote.
He asked them to not participate on this referendum.
So, is it fair?
Trust the Romanian people.
We'll see the truth at the end of the 24 of July, but we trust in V. Ponta and the new government.
It's just my opinion...
Best regards from Romania!

[johannos]

Yes, the strategy of the opposition is (unfortunately) to boycott the referendum.
Here are the reasons, based on the annexes of the referendum law passed these days by Ponta government:

1. the special voter lists (containing the votes of citizens outside of their circumscriptions) are NOT to be counted separately, so that multiple votes CANNOT be detected.

2.The number of stamps in use and the number of stamps LOST is NOT to be registered in the final reports.

3. The final counting reports will NOT state whether the number of votes found in the urns is equal to the number of voters registered and signed on the lists.

4. Mr. Ponta blatantly refused to install video cameras in the voting stations (although the referendum could have easily taken place in schools, already equipped with video cameras)

5. There is NO software to be used for counting and registering the votes, so that the multiple votes cannot be detected.

All these changes of the referendum law made the opposition party to assume that a fraud is being prepared, hence they urged heir supporters to boycott the referendum.
This is the ugly, sad truth.

[dionisie]

The relevance of Ponta as a person to in the current situation is somewhat irrelevant. The important factors that have to be noticed are the numerous warning received by Romania form EU under Basescu's mandate.
Some of these warnings were concerning European funds, some were about procedures and institutions, but the most important warning was voiced about democracy. The very instant that it has been concluded that judges, which are to be the very core of the democratic process are politically controlled, the entire political class should have been dismissed. This is unacceptable. What does it take to actually fulfil the wishes of an entire nation?
We see it takes a coalition, countless struggles and a strong resistance to political dirt. This alliance needs to be supported, even if it looks inexperienced at times. Democracy need to be reinstated and it just so happens Ponta and Antonescu were the men of the hour. Men will come and will go, what is important is to end this dictatorship and re-enter in normality at all costs. EU relations must be stabilized and built upon, in a truthful manner. The dictatorship of Basescu has to end.