Centre-left ruling party commits to austerity drive in Romania
Monday 30 April 2012
Printable
EmailRomania's prime minister-designate vowed on Monday to press on with the country's austerity drive.
Victor Ponta, who leads the centre-left Social Democratic Party and is due to name his cabinet on Tuesday, told the IMF officials that there would be "continuity" in economic policy.
Mr Ponta's ministerial team takes over from the short-lived centre-right government of Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, which lost a parliamentary vote of no confidence on Friday over its unpopular plans to sell off state energy companies.
Mr Ungureanu was appointed PM after former prime minister Emil Boc stepped down in February following weeks of anti-austerity street protests.
Mr Boc's administration secured a €20 billion (£16bn) loan from the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank in 2009.
In return he bumped up sales tax from 19 to 24 per cent and slashed public-sector salaries by a quarter.
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