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Romanian President Traian Basescu announces the appointment of the new Romanian Prime Minister at the Cotroceni Palace, the Romanian Presidency headquarters in Bucharest on February 6, 2012. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc has ceded power on Monday following a series of protests against austerity measures the country recently introduced, say media reports.
“I took the decision to step down in order to take the strain off the political and social situation in the country, but also in order not to lose what the Romanian have earned: the economical stability of the country,” Boc said as he stepped down, according to the Romanian Times.
The Romanian government has been forced to deal with several weeks of demonstrations after Boc imposed a 25 percent cut on the wages of public sector workers. The government also instated a freeze on pension increases and has increased sales taxes to 24 percent.
These cuts were instated even after Romania, the second poorest country in the European Union, saw a 2.5 percent overall growth in its economy. Inflation in the country was at its lowest level in two decades.
“I have resigned because I don’t want to cling to power, for me it matters less if I maintain my position for several months, until the elections in November,” Boc added, according to the newspaper.
Boc said that it is paramount for politicians in the country to form a new government following his departure. “This economic stability must be defended at any price and no price is too big for it,” he said.
The country’s justice minister, Catalin Predoiu, was named as the interim prime minister by the president’s office.