Ciolacu: Today we did justice to 5 mln pensioners

Social Democratic Party (PSD) Chairman Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday that, through the vote given in Parliament, PSD "did justice" for 5 million pensioners, because pensions must be increased by 40%.

"Today, we have done justice to 5 million pensioners. Pensions must be increased by 40%. There is money. The Government had moved the money of pensioners, children and teachers to the Reserve Fund and in the General Actions chapter of the Ministry of Finance, where it could be used as Orban and Citu wanted. The country's money had become the PNL [National Liberal Party]'s electoral piggybank. From it they bought mayors, party-changing MPs and votes. PSD did what is right. We moved the money back to the people. The budget deficit does not increase by a single leu. The only negative impact is for Orban and PNL, who are left without the money to buy their new mandates," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.

The plenary session of Parliament passed on Tuesday the budget revision for 2020 with the PSD amendment regarding the increase by 40% in the pension point. There were 242 votes in favor, 147 against and 11 abstentions.

The parliamentarians decided, at the proposal of PSD, to repeal the article according to which the pension point is increased by 14%, thus remaining in force the law of the public pension system which provides for a 40% increase.