Ponta, who had resisted earlier calls from President Klaus Iohannis to resign, stepped down hours later but warned the collapse of his government could bring about instability.
“We have turbulence, uncertainty, and unrest,” he said. “We risk ruining everything we built.”
Iohannis said that if fire regulations had been respected “nobody would have died,” calling it a shame that so many had to die before the government caved into the pressure.
On Wednesday evening, thousands massed in Bucharest’s University Square and in at least three other cities, calling for early elections and better governance.
“I believe in a clean Romania, a dignified Romania, where citizens are respected,” said Alexandru Ispas, a 23-year-old history student.
Most likely, however, Ponta’s party will remain in place until parliamentary elections that aren’t scheduled until December 2016. Since the party dominates parliament, its leader will likely get the chance to form a government, and parliament will likely approve it. It’s only if parliament rejects the government twice that new elections would be called — an unlikely scenario.
The protesters also criticized the powerful Romanian Orthodox Church, accusing it of failing to address an outpouring of national grief.
“We want hospitals, not cathedrals!” they chanted.
In a day of resignations, the mayor of the district where the nightclub is located stepped down, saying he felt morally guilty for the fire. The interior minister, who was already under fire over the death of a police motorcyclist who died in a crash while escorting his car, also resigned and said he would take no part in a future government.
