The National Political Council of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) voted on Saturday for the party to join the new government, informs the acting president of the party, Sorin Grindeanu.

'Today we had consultations with our colleagues, including from the county political committees. Up to 5,000 people, more precisely 4,770 colleagues. We had a choice between joining the government, based on the political negotiations that you know and on the fiscal measures, which were already presented, at least most part of them, and the PSD moving into opposition. I can tell you that 4,673 colleagues voted and 97 colleagues did not vote, and of them 3,339, meaning 71.5%, voted 'in favour, 27.3% 'against' and 60 were abstentions,' said Grindeanu, after the meeting of the National Political Council.

The interim leader of the PSD told his party colleagues that this will not be an easy mandate.

'I told my colleagues that this will not be an easy mandate. It is not an easy period and it will not be an easy mandate and I told them that because I wanted them to vote with full knowledge of the facts. It is not a mandate that will come with very popular measures, so they needed to know that before voting yes or no,' he said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dana Piciu, EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)