Latest news with #Ponta
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Presidential candidate Victor Ponta vows to end Ukrainian grain exports via Romania if elected
If elected president, former Prime Minister Victor Ponta told Reuters he will ban the export of Ukrainian grain through the country's Black Sea ports to protect local farmers. Bucharest plays a crucial role in Ukrainian exports amid Russia's threats to the Black Sea maritime trade, shipping around 29 million tones of Ukraine's produce. "There has been a policy of favoring Ukrainian grain in terms of access to port facilities in recent years, at the detriment of Romanian grain, and Romanian farmers were greatly affected by it," Ponta said. In 2024, Romanian farmers asked the government to advocate for import limits on Ukrainian agriculture products, protesting the economic impacts of a free trade agreement that have sparked worries about uneven competition and risks to domestic production. Yet, the presidential candidate said that he would support other measures already in place to support Ukraine, including weapons transit and training for Ukrainian pilots. He said that Romania can defend neighboring Moldova in case of a Russian attack but could not do so for Ukraine or any other country. In light of President Donald Trump's U-turn in foreign policy, Ponta said that he backs "radical change" taking place in the U.S. The re-run of Romania's presidential elections is set for May 8 after the scheduled vote in November was annulled due to allegations of Russian interference favoring far-right candidate Calin Georgescu. He was barred from participating in the presidential election re-run. Victor Ponta, 52, served as a Romanian prime minister between 2012-2015, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He resigned after public outrage over a deadly nightclub fire. An opinion poll conducted by polling institute Verifield showed that Ponta has a chance to enter the run-off facing far-right candidate George Simion. Read also: As Russia refuses to accept ceasefire, will Trump pressure Moscow? We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Presidential hopeful Ponta says will end Ukrainian grain exports via Romania
By Luiza Ilie BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian presidential candidate Victor Ponta said on Monday he would stop Ukrainian grain exports via the country's Black Sea ports if elected to protect local farmer, but pledged to defend neighbouring Moldova in case of a Russian attack. Romania, a European Union and NATO member state, will hold a re-run of a presidential election in May, after a December vote was cancelled over accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denies. Bucharest's role in NATO and the EU, as well as its aid to neighbouring Ukraine are in the spotlight. Romania's president has a semi-executive role, which includes chairing the council that decides on military aid and defence spending, and can veto European Union votes that require unanimity. Ponta, 52, is a former leftist prime minister whose politics have turned ultranationalist. According to opinion polls, he has a chance of making it into the run-off vote, alongside hard right opposition leader George Simion, the replacement candidate for the banned far-right frontrunner in the cancelled vote. Romania has helped to export roughly 29 million tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta in the three years since Moscow's invasion, becoming Ukraine's main alternative route out. "There has been a policy of favouring Ukrainian grain in terms of access to port facilities in recent years, at the detriment of Romanian grain, and Romanian farmers were greatly affected by it," Ponta told Reuters in an interview. He said he would uphold other measures already in effect to support Ukraine, including the transit of weapons and the training of Ukrainian pilots. SUPPORTS 'RADICAL' US CHANGES Ponta, who quit as prime minister in 2015 after a deadly nightclub fire, and whose first presidential bid in 2014 was thwarted by his government's bureaucratic hurdles to voting by Romanians abroad, said he backs what he calls "radical change" taking place in the United States. The cancellation of December's election has placed Romania at the centre of a dispute between Europe and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over free speech and suppressing political opponents. "We must just be pragmatic and understand that in Washington things have changed fundamentally, and ... that we can have a relationship based on different criteria: pragmatism, common interest and military collaboration," Ponta said. "Thank God I play golf, and thank God I don't beat President Trump at it. He beats me, barely, but he beats me." He said he would support increasing Romanian defence spending to over 3% of economic output in 2026, from a planned 2.5% this year, and said he would focus on building up the flagship Mihail Kogalniceanu military air base, which hosts American troops. Ponta said his "Romania first" approach in the EU and NATO would focus on supporting EU accession for Moldova and the Western Balkans, as well as focusing on strategic partnerships with Poland and Turkey, the main military power in the Black Sea. "I believe Romania can support Moldova in case of aggression," he said. "Realistically, Romania cannot support another country, be it Ukraine or another. But it has the capacity to do that for Moldova." Ponta also said he did not support the introduction of civil unions for same sex couples.
Reuters
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Presidential hopeful Ponta says will end Ukrainian grain exports via Romania
BUCHAREST, April 7 (Reuters) - Romanian presidential candidate Victor Ponta said on Monday he would stop Ukrainian grain exports via the country's Black Sea ports if elected to protect local farmer, but pledged to defend neighbouring Moldova in case of a Russian attack. Romania, a European Union and NATO member state, will hold a re-run of a presidential election in May, after a December vote was cancelled over accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denies. Bucharest's role in NATO and the EU, as well as its aid to neighbouring Ukraine are in the spotlight. Romania's president has a semi-executive role, which includes chairing the council that decides on military aid and defence spending, and can veto European Union votes that require unanimity. Ponta, 52, is a former leftist prime minister whose politics have turned ultranationalist. According to opinion polls, he has a chance of making it into the run-off vote, alongside hard right opposition leader George Simion, the replacement candidate for the banned far-right frontrunner in the cancelled vote. Romania has helped to export roughly 29 million tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta in the three years since Moscow's invasion, becoming Ukraine's main alternative route out. "There has been a policy of favouring Ukrainian grain in terms of access to port facilities in recent years, at the detriment of Romanian grain, and Romanian farmers were greatly affected by it," Ponta told Reuters in an interview. He said he would uphold other measures already in effect to support Ukraine, including the transit of weapons and the training of Ukrainian pilots. Ponta, who quit as prime minister in 2015 after a deadly nightclub fire, and whose first presidential bid in 2014 was thwarted by his government's bureaucratic hurdles to voting by Romanians abroad, said he backs what he calls "radical change" taking place in the United States. The cancellation of December's election has placed Romania at the centre of a dispute between Europe and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over free speech and suppressing political opponents. "We must just be pragmatic and understand that in Washington things have changed fundamentally, and ... that we can have a relationship based on different criteria: pragmatism, common interest and military collaboration," Ponta said. "Thank God I play golf, and thank God I don't beat President Trump at it. He beats me, barely, but he beats me." He said he would support increasing Romanian defence spending to over 3% of economic output in 2026, from a planned 2.5% this year, and said he would focus on building up the flagship Mihail Kogalniceanu military air base, which hosts American troops. Ponta said his "Romania first" approach in the EU and NATO would focus on supporting EU accession for Moldova and the Western Balkans, as well as focusing on strategic partnerships with Poland and Turkey, the main military power in the Black Sea. "I believe Romania can support Moldova in case of aggression," he said. "Realistically, Romania cannot support another country, be it Ukraine or another. But it has the capacity to do that for Moldova." Ponta also said he did not support the introduction of civil unions for same sex couples.
Reuters
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Former PM Ponta joins Romania presidential race after Georgescu barred
Summary Two-round election taking place on May 4 and 18 Race upended after far-right pro-Russian Calin Georgescu barred Saturday deadline for candidates to register BUCHAREST, March 12 (Reuters) - Former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta joined the race for May's presidential election re-run on Wednesday, throwing the contest wide open after pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu was barred from running. Romania is set to repeat its two-round presidential election on May 4 and 18 after the Constitutional Court voided the initial ballot in December following accusations of Russian meddling in Georgescu's favour, denied by Moscow and Georgescu. With the hard right scrambling before Saturday's deadline to replace Georgescu, who had been leading the opinion polls, Ponta, a former Social Democrat Party leader who has moved to the right in the past year, could pick up votes from both wings of Romania's politics. Analysts have said Ponta could sway some Georgescu voters away from whoever the hard-right parties put forward - giving him a chance of reaching the second round, where he could face Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of capital Bucharest, who had been showing as Georgescu's main contender in some of the polls. Romania's president has a semi-executive role which includes chairing the council that decides on military aid and defence spending. They can also veto EU votes that require unanimity, making the role particularly important at a time when the bloc is trying to increase defence spending and develop its Ukraine strategy as the U.S. works towards brokering a peace deal. Ponta, who resigned as prime minister in November 2015 in the wake of a fatal nightclub fire, said he had collected the 200,000 required signatures to support his candidacy. As he announced he was running, he backed what he called the "radical change" taking place in the United States and courted voters with an ultranationalist leaning - while also backing the country's role in the EU and NATO. "Only Romanians should decide who will lead, not anyone from outside the country, not institutions, not organizations - only Romania," Ponta told reporters. "Power must be returned to the people, taken back from systems, organisations, and parties that have seized it over the years," he said. "I believe that only through this change can we have a future both in Romania and in Europe." His candidacy will need to be validated by the central election bureau. Crin Antonescu, a centrist backed by the three parties in the ruling coalition, is also running for the presidency. The hard right parties have said it is up to Georgescu to endorse a replacement. He told his supporters on Tuesday to follow their conscience in supporting other candidates.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former PM Ponta joins Romania presidential race after Georgescu barred
By Elizaveta Gladun and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta joined the race for May's presidential election re-run on Wednesday, throwing the contest wide open after pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu was barred from running. Romania is set to repeat its two-round presidential election on May 4 and 18 after the Constitutional Court voided the initial ballot in December following accusations of Russian meddling in Georgescu's favour, denied by Moscow and Georgescu. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. With the hard right scrambling before Saturday's deadline to replace Georgescu, who had been leading the opinion polls, Ponta, a former Social Democrat Party leader who has moved to the right in the past year, could pick up votes from both wings of Romania's politics. Analysts have said Ponta could sway some Georgescu voters away from whoever the hard-right parties put forward - giving him a chance of reaching the second round, where he could face Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of capital Bucharest, who had been showing as Georgescu's main contender in some of the polls. Romania's president has a semi-executive role which includes chairing the council that decides on military aid and defence spending. They can also veto EU votes that require unanimity, making the role particularly important at a time when the bloc is trying to increase defence spending and develop its Ukraine strategy as the U.S. works towards brokering a peace deal. Ponta, who resigned as prime minister in November 2015 in the wake of a fatal nightclub fire, said he had collected the 200,000 required signatures to support his candidacy. As he announced he was running, he backed what he called the "radical change" taking place in the United States and courted voters with an ultranationalist leaning - while also backing the country's role in the EU and NATO. "Only Romanians should decide who will lead, not anyone from outside the country, not institutions, not organizations - only Romania," Ponta told reporters. "Power must be returned to the people, taken back from systems, organisations, and parties that have seized it over the years," he said. "I believe that only through this change can we have a future both in Romania and in Europe." His candidacy will need to be validated by the central election bureau. Crin Antonescu, a centrist backed by the three parties in the ruling coalition, is also running for the presidency. The hard right parties have said it is up to Georgescu to endorse a replacement. He told his supporters on Tuesday to follow their conscience in supporting other candidates.
