PSD's Ciolacu accuses President Iohannis of blackmailing Parliament, trying to hide gov't pandemic failure

Acting national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu claims that President Klaus Iohannis supports the violation of Romanians' rights and freedoms and "is blackmailing Parliament" in an attempt to hide the fact that the government has "completely lost control of the [coronavirus] pandemic."

"Do not take advantage of the pandemic to kill democracy! President Iohannis is supporting the violation of the rights and freedoms of Romanians as desired by the National Liberal Party (PNL) government and is blackmailing Parliament. That is how he is attempting to hide the fact that the government has completely lost control of the [coronavirus] pandemic due to their own ineptitudes. It is exclusively the fault of the Orban government that they have violated rights and freedoms by ministerial decree. That is how he managed to create a crisis for the infected patients to leave hospitals. It is outrageous and cynical to blame Parliament for all the ineptitudes of the Orban Cabinet!," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

According to him, those who dispute the existence of the novel coronavirus do so using the very words of Klaus Iohannis.

"If there are Romanians who dispute the existence of the virus, they do it, unfortunately, using even the words of President Iohannis form March, when he said that the virus is a 'simple cold'. Back then his mind was fully occupied with the thought only of early elections instead of fighting against the pandemic! The disaster state in which Romania is finding itself now, acknowledged today by the President himself, is entirely to His Government's fault! You have had all the necessary levers for the efficient management of the pandemic. But you have left the situation get out of control! Stop trying to find culprits!," wrote Ciolacu.

In his opinion, the bill sent by the government to Parliament "blatantly violates the rights and freedoms of citizens."

"We will not give in to blackmail and we will not allow the violation of citizens' rights and freedoms. The solution is a clear, applicable law that does not allow for abuses. We will do that!," the PSD leader pointed out.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that PSD was delaying the quarantine and isolation law and called on lawmakers to finalise talks on it.

"I am shocked by the way PSD has reacted and is reacting in Parliament now when a very important law is under discussion, the law regulating the isolation of sick people and the quarantine of people. (...) PSD is delaying the discussion," Iohannis told a news briefing at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.