Romania's ethnic Hungarians join Ponta government

Reuters
Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta speaks at a joint news conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso after a meeting at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's ethnic Hungarian opposition party UDMR voted to join the leftist government of Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday, and will be given the environment and culture ministry portfolios, party officials said. "We noticed that Romania now needs government stability taking into account the (domestic) context and situation around our country. Our contribution to stability is of paramount importance," UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor told reporters. Ponta's main coalition partner quit the government last week after a series of disagreements. The exit sparked worries about Romania's ability to stick to commitments it made to the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a 4 billion euro aid deal. (Reporting by Radu Marinas; editing by Matthias Williams)