Public reactions at President Iohannis urging PM Dancila to resign

In Alba Iulia on Friday, former Minister of Education Ecaterina Andronescu, a senator of the majority Social Democratic Party (PSD), said President Iohannis made haste when he urged Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to resign office, adding that the President's "slightly bellicose statement" is of no use to anyone.

PSD Deputy Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu argued after President Klaus Iohannis publicly demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila that he had the impression that someone would have ordered Iohannis to make such statements.

Also on Friday, PSD lawmaker Eugen Nicolicea said that the head of state has no power to withdraw confidence from the prime minister or the Government, adding that the request for the resignation of the prime minister is "a propaganda issue."

Leader of the Cluj branch of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), minor at rule, lawmaker Steluta Cataniciu, said at a news conference on Friday that President Klaus Iohannis cannot withdraw the government's confidence either morally or legally.

MP Adrian Oros, a deputy chairman of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL), told a news conference in Cluj on Friday that Prime Minister Viorica Dancila cannot cope with any smaller prerogatives than those of the prime minister and that the possibility of filing a motion of censure against the Dancila Cabinet will be considered.

Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, a former PSD national leader, said on Friday that the statement by current PSD national leader Liviu Dragnea that President Klaus Iohannis' statements on Israel's visit had "a certain dose of anti-Semitism" is "serious."

The opposition Save Romania Union (USR) will initiate consultations to table a censure motion after President Klaus Iohannis announced the withdrawal of political support from Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, said USR national leader Dan Barna on Friday.

The opposition People's Movement Party (PMP) will support a no-confidence vote against the Dancila Cabinet, PMP Executive Chairman Eugen Tomac said on Friday. He also argued that "President Iohannis is right."

Political analyst Bogdan Chirieac says President Klaus Iohannis' statements on the prime minister are "stupefying" and have noting to do with the law, adding that the head of state is "very ill advised during this period."

Political analyst Cristian Parvulescu argues that President Klaus Iohannis's statement, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, "is in a conflictual logic of a harshly divided government" and that a possible scenario would be a "decisive" confrontation between the head of state and PSD for taking over the parliamentary majority and the presidency.

Finally, journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu told AGERPRES that the request by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, for the resignation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila is "an offensive political statement to gain political capital, and absolutely justified by the prime minister's performance."