Romanian Senate Chairman Suspended From Social Democratic Party

Ponta made it clear that Geoana would still have the Social Democratic Party’s endorsement as head of the Parliament’s upper house.

The row began after Geoana, the party’s candidate in the 2009 presidential elections, wrote on his personal blog about a visit to controversial businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vintu during election campaign and before a decisive televised debate against President Traian Basescu, who was running for reelection. Geoana wrote that his then-spokesman Ponta taught him to lie about having visited Vintu. Ponta firmly denied everything.

Last week, a number of social democrats sent Geoana an open letter asking him to stop attacking the party.