Adrian Nastase Wednesday resigned his position of Speaker of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, after pressure from his party mounted against him.

This was the start of the political bickering for filling his former position.

After the hour-long meeting of the Social Democrat Party, or PSD, during which Nastase lost his party’s political support, he arrived at the Chamber of Deputies and announced the House’s leading permanent body his decision to resign. Nastase was expected to do the same Thursday, in a House plenary session.

However, Nastase parted with the position with regrets.

"Of course I am upset to leave the position, since I had many plans I could not embark on last year because of the pressure the ruling coalition put on me to leave the Speaker’s position. I had hopped my time to accomplish my plans had come this year," said Nastase.

He also had regrets for taking part last year in the debate prompted by the pressures the ruling coalition put on the parliament to take him out of the Speaker’s seat.

Once Nastase was out of the picture, the race was on for both ruling and opposition parties to place their candidate for the position of House Speaker.

The House will take a vote on the issue on Monday.

Mircea Geoana, PSD president, said the party would not relent and give up the Speaker’s position which is rightfully the party’s.

MP Victor Ponta, PSD, said the party supported Valer Dorneanu as House Speaker. He reminded that both the House Statute and the ruling of the Constitutional Court on the matter state that the Speaker should be a member of the PSD.

"Unfortunately, we will reach a dead-lock, because I cannot imagine the ruling coalition voting our candidate, so we will have no House Speaker," Ponta said.

MPs of the ruling coalition disagree, saying they are free to advance their