UPDATE Iohannis: Romania entered health crisis completely unprepared, PSD the main to blame

Romania entered the health crisis completely unprepared, and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is the main to blame for this disaster, President Klaus Iohannis told a press briefing at the Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday. "It's my duty to all the Romanians, regardless of their political options, to call things by their real name, because the stakes are huge - the destiny of tomorrow's Romania," the head of the state said, insisting that for years now Romania has been "severely affected by the corruption and incompetence of the PSD governments that blocked development, did not invest in infrastructure and directed public funds into party infrastructure." "The real priorities were ignored and abandoned, and that's how we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic with major shortages in the medical system, poor infrastructure and an education system flawed by critical issues. The clientelism promoted as state policy and indifference to acute systemic issues have brought Romania to the point where the state was in danger of no longer being able to fulfill its fundamental mission: that of protecting the health and rights of its citizens," Iohannis said. He underscored that it's in such an adverse context that the National Liberal Party (PNL) assumed governing, while "many others preferred not to get involved." "It wasn't easy at all, but even with a minority Liberal government attacked from all sides and without parliamentary support, many things have changed for the better," said the President. He pointed out that during this year, his and the government's efforts have focused mainly on fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and reducing its negative social, educational and economic effects. "Concomitantly with the huge efforts to deal with the epidemic with the limited resources available, we have launched in close partnership with the government, important reforms that must be continued and deepened. In all areas decisions are now taken after consulting experts and specialists, we have an excellent relationship with our European partners, and Romania has been removed from the list of shame where PSD had put us, that of judicially embattled countries with rule of law issues. We also obtained the largest European funding package in history, which are funds that will set in motion the engine for Romania's reconstruction and will allow us to exit the economic crisis as soon as possible, to consistently develop the infrastructure and all the large public sectors," Iohannis specified. He pointed out that if the PSD had been in power, a "health catastrophe" would have occurred, adding that the PSD government has "failed miserably on all levels even under normal conditions." President Iohannis stressed that the December 6 vote is essential, as "Romania cannot afford yet another electoral cycle of underdevelopment." "There were too many sacrificial generations and too often have the people's sacrifices and patience been in vain. PSD has proven that it incapable to change. Despite facelift attempts, it remains the same retrograde formation of red barons, attached to a way of doing politics the citizens no longer tolerate and no longer want. What better proof of the fact that PSD has not understood anything and that it's acting strictly in the interests of the party than the permanent undermining in Parliament of all the government's efforts to keep the pandemic under control? How can PSD's attitude of burdening the state budget beyond limit with all sorts of electoral pork-barrelling, despite the Social Democrat MPs being perfectly aware that there is simply no money for such measures, be termed otherwise than cynical and irresponsible? Or let's take another relevant example: while the Romanians and the government are battling the pandemic and its economic effects, the PSD is still trying to pass various tax exemptions like that for casinos and the gambling industry. This is how a harmful party is acting in Parliament, which has anything but the people's benefit and needs on its mind! Well, this has to stop!," Iohannis concluded. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - editors: Simona Klodnischi, Maria Voican)