Before Siegfried Mureșan’s public position, PSD president Sorin Grindeanu said he understood the criticism that emerged after Saturday’s party marking the christening of Alfred Simonis’s child, saying that the images conveyed “an inappropriate message” at a time when many Romanians are feeling the effects of austerity measures. He specified that leaders with public responsibilities must be “much more attentive” to how they relate to people and to the message conveyed even at private events, and showed that he did not want to downplay the reactions, expressing regret for the perception created.
Earlier, PNL vice president Gigel Știrbu described the extravagance as “Halloween at the PSD-ists!” and spoke of “the caviar socialists’ christening,” accusing them of opulence and being disconnected from the population’s problems, including through the contrast between the luxurious outfits and the financial difficulties cited.