Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu urged Victor Ponta, his former honorary adviser, to abandon his bid in May’s presidential election following incendiary remarks about deliberately flooding Romanian villages during his time as premier in 2014, according to Euractiv.
Ponta, now an independent candidate running on a “Romania First” platform, claimed he ordered authorities to divert floodwaters through Romanian communities to spare Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, and was subsequently awarded Serbian citizenship by then-PM Aleksandar Vučić as a “gesture of gratitude.”
The comments, made during a Wednesday interview, triggered immediate backlash. A leader of the opposition USR party demanded legal action, while writer Mircea Dinescu–whose property was damaged in the 2014 floods–vowed to sue Ponta. Prime Minister Ciolacu condemned the revelations, stating a leader’s foremost duty is to safeguard citizens and national interests.
In a social media post on Thursday, Ciolacu accused Ponta of undermining Romania’s sovereignty.
To calmly admit that, as Prime Minister, you agreed to flood Romanian villages to save foreign cities, and to boast that you were rewarded with another country’s citizenship, clearly shows a disregard for national sovereignty.
The PM emphasised that Ponta’s actions disqualified him from portraying himself as a sovereigntist, adding, “Withdraw from the race! At the very least, redeem yourself at the eleventh hour for the grave mistake you made back then.”
Ciolacu’s plea appeared to reference concerns within his Socialist Party about splitting the vote, which could advantage incumbent President Klaus Iohannis or rival candidate Nicușor Dan. However, Ponta defended his decision in a Wednesday evening interview, insisting he had prioritised regional solidarity.
During the floods, I gave the order to Romanian authorities to open the valley at the Iron Gates (a dam on the Danube river), which prevented Belgrade from flooding.
