A STORY WITH ANTILOPES, CROCODILES AND ALPHA MALES The casting out of Valeriu Zgonea from the PSD

Valeriu Zgonea has been excluded from the PSD because Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to two years in prison with suspension.

Had Liviu Dragnea's prison sentence not been suspended, then Valeriu Zgonea would have probably become the president of the PSD.

We are clearly witnessing the political role of the judiciary system, which has reached the point of arbitraging who gets to lead the PSD and who gets excluded from it.

Zgonea described as "deeply unjust" the decision of the PSD management, which voted unanimously for the departure of the politician in the party: "I have reminded the inquisition and the idea that, if you express an opinion you are automatically condemned for having an opinion".

The exclusion of Valeriu Zgonea comes after he asked for the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party, following his sentence in the "Referendum" case.

Zgonea said: "After 26 years, opinion crime has become what you heard about today.

This is a deeply unfair decision, from my point of view. I have warned (...) that (...) our problems with the law shouldn't become a topic of debate in the local communities and prevent our candidates from exposing their opinions. Integrity is the order of the day on the lips of all Romanians. Instead of him leaving, I'll be the one to leave. That is the decision".

Valeriu Zgonea compared the situation in the PSD with that of the Gnu antelopes, which, looking for food, choose to jump into a river rife with crocodiles, following their alpha male: "I was watching a documentary about Gnu antelopes last night. And in their process of seeking to get where they want to get, they cross a river. And the alpha male jumps into a river and without thinking, without realizing what could happen to all of them, they all jump in after the alpha male. The only problem is that the river is known for being rife with crocodiles. This is what today's PSD is like: every man for himself. I warned you that it is a great mistake if the leader doesn't take responsibility for the position that they hold, because this is the main party in Romania. Other than that, everybody has their conscience at ease, I have my conscience at ease that I have warned the party that we are weakening it as well as its thousands of candidates and it will be a subject of debate by autumn concerning integrity. From this point forward, the people who made the decision have to communicate".

In response to the statements made by Valeriu Zgonea, the president of the PSD, Liviu Dragnea, who was apparently feeling very witty said: "I understand the antelopes have eaten the crocodile. That's my take on this. I did not know about that statement, but if I think about it a little, in 2012 we were antelopes standing near a river and everybody on the shore was saying « let's get into the river» and I did, I got eaten by the crocodiles, some of them have left in the Chamber of Deputies".

We take it that in Dragnea's case, the crocodiles have eaten him with a suspension.

The PSD president said that he had no knowing of the "interests" of Valeriu Zgonea concerning animal documentaries and he said that he prefers historic ones: "I don't really watch animal documentaries because I don't need to watch documentaries, reality is so full".

Filled with what?

With animals, of course.

• Alina Gorghiu: "The party has rallied around its criminally convicted president"

The decisions made by the PSD represent an incredible insult to Romanians, the legal system and the principles of the rule of the law, , Alina Gorghiu the co-president of the PNL, wrote, on Facebook. "The party has rallied around a criminally convicted president, ignoring the aspirations of citizens for a political class with integrity. The issue in the PSD is not the exclusion of Valeriu Zgonea, who I don't respect that much, but the coalescing of the leadership of the party around a felon criminally convicted for electoral fraud. The unanimous vote, following which Zgonea has been excluded from the party because he has asked for the PSD not to be led by a person who has received a definitive conviction in the courts, represented the biggest mockery to the Romanian democracy and shows that any hope of reforming this party is an illusion. This situation shows how dangerous for Romania could be the rise to power of the PSD, a party for which the fight against corruption only exists when it comes to political statements. Romanians can punish this deeply anti-democratic attitude of the PSD on June 5th through their votes and I am convinced they are going to do it".

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis also said that Liviu Dragnea should step down: "For the health of the Romanian political system, it is not alright for a major political party to be led by a leader who has been criminally convicted through a permanent ruling. I have informed him of this opinion."

• Ion Iliescu criticized Zgonea for lack of collegiality

Liviu Dragnea must remain the president of the party, even if he has received a conviction with suspension, Ion Iliescu, the honorary president (honor?) of social-democrats, in the beginning of this week, exclusively told Digi24. Furthermore, Ion Iliescu criticized Valeriu Zgonea who has asked Liviu Dragnea to resign: "Yes, so? What authority does Zgonea have in the party? Let's be serious here. - So you disapprove of the actions of Zgonea? - Yes, it was really lacking in collegiality from him. What fraud, where is that fraud? Is calling on people to vote in the referendum fraud? Isn't this the political mission of a party? I mean even the judges were embarrassed to go all the way with this mater".

Well, it seems a perfect fit for Ion Iliescu to suggest to the PSD to show collegiality to felons...

Yesterday, Ion Iliescu sent the social-democrats a message in which he stressed that the PSD must do its duty, "not to get lost in power struggles, which are of no interest for Romanians".

The politician posted the following on his personal blog: "I am addressing you at a time which I think is crucial for the party. Please see this message as the expression of my concern, caused by the developments at the top of the party. The essence of this message is a call to unity and continuity in the PSD. Let's not repeat the costly mistakes of the past. First and foremost, the party has responsibilities to its members and sympathizers, the leftist people in Romania, as well as to its citizens. It must do its duty, not get lost in powerful struggles, which are of no interest to Romanians. You know very well I am not the supporter of exclusions and other strongarm measures. They have done us much harm. If we resort to this once again, we are not going to resolve anything".

In other words: criminals all over the country, rally with the PSD!

He reminded that the president and the executive president have been elected by the members of the PSD, respectively by the delegates in the Congress, for "what they have done for the party": "Mr. Liviu Dragnea showed his abilities as an organizer in the years that have elapsed since his coming into the political party. I have told him, on Friday, after the sentence was announced, that I have considered his conviction as meaningless and I still do. Mr. Valeriu Zgonea joined the PSD in the years when the party was in the opposition, two decades ago, and I remember his enthusiasm in taking on responsibilities and working for the benefit of the party".

The former President also stressed in his message that conflict doesn't benefit anyone: "The PSD must focus on its campaign for the local elections, where we have something to prove: that we are the political party with a cohesive program for local governance, for the prosperity of the local communities. There will be time, after the elections, for a deep analysis of the situation within the party. In closing, I reiterate my call to calm and responsibility".

• Liviu Dragnea: "I have not proposed to Victor Ponta to be the president of the Chamber of Deputies"

The PSD will decide who is going to take over the helm of the Chamber of Deputies at the First meeting of the Permanent Office of the party, which will take place after Easter, the president of the social-democrats Liviu Dragnea announced yesterday.

The politician said that he is not nervous over the appointment of a new president of the Chamber of Deputies, and he added: "Today (ed. note: yesterday), no proposal to support any member of our party for the position has been discussed in the National Executive Committee".

Liviu Dragnea denied the news that Victor Ponta would replace Zgonea, saying that he did not propose that position to the former prime-minister.

When asked to clarify whether Ponta would have been fit for being a president of the Chamber, the social-democrat leader said that Victor Ponta is ready for many positions, for all of them.

This casting out is a true fairy tale, as it shows how the ones that ask for the removal of the offender from the helm of the PSD, which represents a normal political demand, get excluded from the party themselves.

If four centuries later, the PSD were to become the Catholic Church, then it will have to ask for forgiveness for excommunicating Zgonea, just like Pope John Paul the Second asked for forgiveness for burning Giordano Bruno.

But, of course, the PSD will never become the Catholic Church.