Tariceanu turns PSD government offer down

Mircea Geoana, president of the PSD (Social-Democrat Party), announced yesterday his party's conditions on the making of a new government to include PSD members. But although in Victoria Palace, the Romanian PM Calin-Popescu Tariceanu was fast enough to announce that a future government with PSD members was out of question. He also accused the party of "political blackmail". He put it bluntly: "I have been clear: such a government stands no chance. Our approaches are different and I don't respond to political blackmail. If the PSD wants to get power by their bill against the government, this is political blackmail".
The PSD official explained that one first condition was that the new pension law, authored by his party, should be applied starting with November 1, 2007 instead of January 1, 2008, as scheduled initially. As for the second condition, it is that subventions for agriculture should be granted again, starting this autumn, on grounds of the proposals included in the PSD bill against the government which deputies voted for last June. A third condition is that education should get 7% of the gross domestic product, accompanied by the elaboration of a national education pact for the next 10 years. (...)
Another claim the Social-Democrats have expressed is an improved assimilation of EU funds. According to Mircea Geoana, was the PSD to take over in case of government collapse because of the bill, President Traian Basescu together with the parliamentary parties would be responsible for making new parliamentary majority and an efficient government.
The making of a government of Social-Democrats and Liberals was also on the grapevine yesterday. Rumor had it that the ministries whose heads are now being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Department, such as Justice, Labor, Finance and Health, would be taken over by Social-Democrats. (...)

Roxana Andronic
Ziua Joi 27 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english