Former PM: Nobody will ever again be able to govern Romania in secret

Former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos reacted on his Facebook page to the huge protest that took place in Romania on Sunday evening, when more than 600,000 people took to the streets against the Government. Posting a photo of the over 250,000 people who lit up Victoriei Square in Bucharest, Ciolos said: “Nobody will ever again be able to govern Romania in secret. Hundreds of thousands of Romanians took to the streets to defend democracy, the rule of law, for a strong justice, and a society based on values. Hundreds of thousands of Romanian demand an honest, open, and European Romania. Hundreds of thousands of Romanians demand a different system of governance: honest, transparent, only in the service of citizens.”

Ciolos also said that these days aren’t just about repealing the controversial emergency ordinance aimed at changing the Penal Code, but also about a mature population that wants the lies and the populism to stop. “They aren’t only about a law put on paper, but about morality and the collective consciousness, about our future as a nation.” The Romanian Government adopted an emergency ordinance last week, which was amending the Penal Codes. Following massive protests in Bucharest and other cities across the country, the cabinet led by Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu decided to repeal the ordinance. However, this decision didn’t stop the protesters, who now want the Government to resign as well, as they say it is not trustworthy anymore. People were not only unhappy with the emergency ordinance’s changes, but also with the way the Government adopted it, in a meeting held late on Tuesday evening. However, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said that he wouldn't resign. Moreover, on Monday morning, PSD leader Liviu Dragnea also said that the Government had no reason to resign. Romanian PSD leader says protests “professionally organized”, points finger at multinationals Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com