He soon became noted for his opposition to the Premier, and called on him to resign — according to the journalist Sorin Roşca-Stănescu, Opriş was the leader of a PNŢCD faction who came into conflict with Vasile's. After the Vasile cabinet was replaced with that of Mugur Isărescu, the PNŢCD went on to face a parliamentary crisis due to a standoff with the PD, when the PD's Minister of Defense, Victor Babiuc, decided to leave his party — the PD refused to pass legislation until Babiuc was to be replaced with Sorin Frunzăverde. In response, Opriş called on all other coalition partners (the National Liberals, the Social Democrats, the Democratic Union of Hungarians and various minor groups) to express support for the proposed legislation, and argued that new laws could conceivably be passed with support from opposition parties. (The crisis was ultimately overcome when Frunzăverde took over as minister.)