Bucharest (Romania): Two of Romania's top leaders have agreed to set aside their bitter rivalry for the good of the country and stop insulting each other, the prime minister said Wednesday.
Victor Ponta said that he and President Traian Basescu signed an agreement to cooperate last week after Ponta's center-left alliance won 68 percent of seats in December 9 parliamentary elections. Basescu's office said the president had handed the agreement to European Union leaders last week during a trip to Brussels.
The enmity between the two men had poisoned the political atmosphere in Romania for months and EU leaders had voiced concern there could be more political feuding after the elections.
Before the election, Basescu had said he would be reluctant to reappoint Ponta, calling him "a pig" and "a compulsive liar." However, Basescu relented and asked Ponta on Monday to form a new government.
The Mediafax news agency quoted Ponta as saying "we won't call each other names and we won't use comparisons to the animal kingdom."
He later named his Cabinet of 20 ministers with three deputy prime ministers, some of whom will retain their current posts. Parliament will vote to approve the government on Friday.
Comments
0 comment