The blaze of Friday night began when fireworks were set off by a group performing in the nightclub.
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“I’m handing in my mandate, I’m resigning, and implicitly my government too”, Ponta said in a statement on Wednesday.
On top of that, Ponta was indicted in September on charges of forgery, money laundering and being an accessory to tax evasion.
Romanians had also called for the resignation of Oprea over the on-duty death of a police motorcyclist, who died after he hit a hole on October 20.
Protests had swelled in recent days with people yelling “Shame on you!” directed at Ponta, Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and Cristian Popescu Piedone, the district mayor where the nightclub Colectiv was located, the Associated Press reported. “I understood that they ask and expect, rightly so, for someone to assume political responsibility”.
“I am stepping down as prime minister”, he said.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he was “impressed” by the protesters and the “desire of people to have their condition and dignity respected”. According to The Guardian, Victor Ponta has delivered his resignation after protests and demonstrations continued to happen in the aftermath of the Colectiv nightclub fire.
Ponta’s resignation comes after a series of allegations of impropriety, and follows his indictment earlier this summer on charges of corruption.
However, the Social Democrat Party, major at rule, disagreed with the proposal of the main opposition, stressing that the ruling coalition now is a stable political structure. “This a serious matter and we promise a quick resolution of the situation”, Dragnea told reporters.
“I am obliged to take note of the legitimate grievances which exist in society”, said Ponta. Since the party dominates parliament, its leader will likely get the chance to form a government, and parliament will likely approve it. It’s only if parliament rejects the government twice that new elections would be called – an unlikely scenario. “If in 1989 (anti-Communist revolution) people fought for liberty, in 2015 we are fighting for justice”, said protester, Hans.
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Prime Minister Victor Ponta will continue to act as the Prime Minister until an interim Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Romania.
