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After weeks of political turmoil and social unrest, Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc announced this morning that he is stepping down.
“I have resigned because I don’t cling to power – for me it matters less if I keep the position for a few more months until the elections in November. I took the decision to give up the government’s mandate in order to defuse political and social tension in Romania and also in order for Romanians not to lose what they have gained: the country’s economic stability,” Boc said in a speech after a government meeting.
Boc stated that his government had to take tough and unpopular austerity measures not because he wanted to do so but because there was no other choice. “Romanians were the ones that truly saved the country. Politicians only did their duty, Romanians saved the country from chaos,” he said, adding that after two years of economic decline, Romania registered in 2011 “one of the highest economic growth rates in the EU” and will post growth “above the EU average” this year also.
He added that it is now the politicians’ responsibility to appoint a new government as quickly as possible.
Following’s Boc resignation there is speculation that President Traian Basescu may seek to appoint a technocrat-led government until the elections, be it in November or sooner.
Simona Bazavan