PSD's Fifor hits back at Liberal head Orban over pension bill, sets record straight

President of the Social Democratic Party's National Council Mihai Fifor said on Thursday that the Liberals are again "tossing around the lie that PSD has not increased pensions" as per law provisions, starting January 1, 2019, and conveyed leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban the message that the Social Democrats won't let these 'lies' go unrebuked. 

"After opposing yesterday the Pensions Bill in the Senate, the PNL now dishes again the lie that PSD has allegedly not raised pensions as stipulated by the law, beginning January 1, 2019. We will not let these lies go unrebuked, Mr. Orban! PSD has increased pensions in advance and by even more than provides the law. In 2017 we increased the pension point twice, as of January 1 and July 1. The second increase was ahead of the January 2018 due date, just as on July 1, 2018 we operated ahead of calendar the increase due for January 1, 2019 - and which the PNL claims we have defaulted on. Also this year, as of September 1, we will operate in advance the increase slated for January next year. By the calendar invoked by the PNL, the pension point should still be 1,045 lei," Fifor wrote on Facebook. 

He went on to say that effective July 1, 2018, ahead of the January 1, 2019 due date, the pension point is 1,100 lei, and rebuked Orban for spreading lies. 

PNL Chairman Ludovic Orban said on Wednesday that the Liberals support the rise of pensions, but based on a "stable, predictable" mechanism that has "objective elements" as underlying foundation. He also commented that the bill on the public pension system, which was again put up for debate in the Senate following a Constitutional Court decision, was rejected on Wednesday because the ruling parties "were unable to mobilize their majority."