Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Muresan renewed his criticism of Social Democratic leader Sorin Grindeanu on Tuesday, arguing that 'PSD must not be allowed to decide the future of the country and of honest people.'

Referring to Emergency Ordinance 13, Muresan said that if Grindeanu returned to government, 'he would not hesitate to issue another ordinance favouring theft and govern against the people if he knew they would not take to the streets and protest.'

'PSD chairman Sorin Grindeanu says that 'the hashtag bubble has deflated', referring to the hundreds of thousands of Romanians who took to the streets in 2017 and 2018 against Emergency Ordinance 13 and in defence of the justice system and the rule of law. This statement shows that Mr Grindeanu has learned nothing from that period. It shows that he does not regret issuing the ordinance that legalised corruption in Romania; he only regrets being held accountable for Emergency Ordinance 13. If he returns to government, he will not hesitate to issue another ordinance favouring theft and govern against the people if he knows they will not take to the streets and protest. That is why this party is dangerous and why PSD must not be allowed to decide the future of our country and of the honest people in it,' Muresan wrote on Facebook.

PSD chairman Sorin Grindeanu was asked on private broadcaster Romania TV on Monday evening whether he feared another wave of street protests by anti-PSD voters, similar to those triggered by Emergency Ordinance 13.

'We are not afraid of anything whatsoever. I think this hashtag bubble is increasingly deflating. People are finally realising that it is all just slogans. People are realising that there is absolutely nothing behind those slogans. People can see that their lives are getting worse by the day,' Grindeanu said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)