President to name a new PM to form government after Victor Ponta resigns following protests by 20,000 people
The Romanian prime minister has announced the resignation of his government following huge protests in the wake of a nightclub fire that killed more than 30 people.
“I’m handing in my mandate, I’m resigning, and implicitly my government too,” Victor Ponta said in a statement. He said he would stay on until a new government is in place.
“I am obliged to take note of the legitimate grievances which exist in society,” he said. “I hope handing in my and my government’s mandate will satisfy the demands of protesters.”
President Klaus Iohannis is to name a prime minister to form a new government, which needs to be approved by parliament. If this fails twice, snap elections will be called. Romania is due to hold parliamentary elections in December 2016.
The deputy leader of the opposition Liberal party, Cătălin Predoiu, hailed the resignations. “This is a victory of the street. It is a lesson for all politicians,” he said.
About 20,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest on Tuesday evening in a spontaneous protest calling for the resignation of Ponta, the interior minister, Gabriel Oprea, and the mayor of the district where the Colectiv nightclub was located.
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