The world has been watching as the death toll has risen to 32 following a horrific fire in the Romanian capital of Bucharest’s Colectiv club this past Friday night, with 130 people remaining in the hospital, and more than half in critical condition. The incident has forced the clubbing world to reconsider its safety practices, with superstar DJ Markus Schulz going so far as to ban fire of any and all kinds at his shows.
In a surprising update today, The New York Times reports that Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta has formally stepped down following protests of over 20,000 people in Bucharest last night calling for his resignation.
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“I have the obligation to acknowledge that there is legitimate anger in society,” the former Prime Minister said in a statement. “People feel the need for more, and it would be wrong of me to ignore this.”
Although the protestors blame the government for poorly handling both inspections and permit granting, Ponta insists that he alone, not the less powerful officials in whose jurisdiction those things directly belong, is to blame.
“I am ready to be the one to make this gesture that parts of society are waiting for, and starting today, I am resigning my mandate as prime minister,” he said. “I do this because in my years as a politician I put up a fight in any battle with political opponents. However, I won’t put up a fight against the people.”
The BBC reports that in September, Ponta became the first sitting Romanian prime minister to go on trial charged with corruption. He was indicted in July on charges including forgery, money laundering, and being an accessory to tax evasion, applying specifically to when he was working as a lawyer in 2007 and 2008. These charges came with their own public calls for Ponta to step down.
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