Pressure Grows on Romanian PM to Resign

The Romanian President and opposition parties have urged Prime Minister Victor Ponta to resign after he was indicted for a range of crimes for which he will now have to stand trial.

"The situation is more and more problematic for the PM and for the ruling party. But Romania's image stands to suffer a lot as well [following Ponta's indictment]," President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday.

"From my point of view, the only solution would be the one I already suggested, namely his resignation," he added.

The National Liberal Party, PNL, the biggest opposition group in the parliament, called on Ponta to resign imediately but also asked the leftist UNPR party, a junior member of the current ruling coalition, to withdraw its political support for the Prime Minister.

For now, Ponta has not shown any intention to resign. He has also said he is ready to face a trial in order to prove his innocence. In a message on Facebook, Ponta recalled that he had pledged to remain in power as long the ruling coalition backed him.

Romania's snti-corruption prosecutors' office, DNA, on Thursday announced that it was indicting Ponta for forgery, complicity with tax evasion and money laundering and will stand trial.

Ponta, who became Prime Minister in 2012, allegedly committed the crimes from 2007 through 2011 while working as a lawyer, the DNA added.

The accusations relate to his previous activity as a lawyer for a law firm owned by a former minister, Dan Sova, a close friend of his. Sova and three other people have been indicted in the same case.

The prosecutors do not have to require parliament's permission to investigate Ponta over the charges as the alleged crimes were committed before he took office as Prime Minister.

But President...