- Title: Romania's leftist Social Democrats name ministers in new government
- Date: 3rd January 2017
- Summary: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (JANUARY 3, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER, LIVIU DRAGNEA, AND PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE, SORIN GRINDEANU, WITH MEMBERS OF PROPOSED GOVERNMENT ENTERING ROOM CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER, LIVIU DRAGNEA, SAYING: "I think this is a team with members compatible to each other who can function well, with a prime minister I believe in. I think this government will perform." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE, SORIN GRINDEANU, SAYING: "We have a governmental program voted through by many Romanians; a governing program which means trust in what we've proposed. This trust urges us, starting with me, to be responsible." CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER, LIVIU DRAGNEA, SAYING: "Everybody (in the government) is concentrated on what they have to do and understand how big the difficulties are. This gives me hope that they will not have a superficial approach." FORMER PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE REJECTED BY PRESIDENT, SEVIL SHHAIDEH NEWS CONFERENCE ENDS
- Embargoed: 18th January 2017 16:02
- Keywords: Romania government election president prime minister
- Location: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
- City: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
- Country: Romania
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XJ046X
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Romania's ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), winner of a Dec. 11 parliamentary election, named government ministers on Tuesday (January 3).
The line-up will be rubber-stamped in a vote on Wednesday (January 4) in parliament, where the PSD and its junior coalition party ALDE have an overall majority. ALDE has four porfolios, including energy.
"I think this is a team with members compatible to each other who can function well, with a prime minister I believe in. I think this government will perform," PSD leader Liviu Dragnea told reporters.
"Everybody is concentrated on what they have to do and understand how big the difficulties are. This gives me hope that they will not have a superficial approach," Dragnea added.
On Dec. 30, Romania's president accepted PSD's Sorin Grindeanu, a 43-year-old former deputy mayor of the city of Timisoara, for the post of prime minister. [nL5N1EP20M]
Would-be finance minister Stefan, 62, has a PhD in economics and has been the head of the parliament's lower house budget and finance committee for years.
For the justice portfolio, the party named senior leftist MP Florin Iordache who together with other deputies has backed several legislative initiatives to weaken a drive against graft.
Romania, which joined the European Union ten years ago, is seen as one of the bloc's most corrupt states and along with neighbouring Bulgaria, its justice system is under special monitoring by Brussels.
The PSD returns to power after being ousted just over a year ago when a deadly fire in a Bucharest nightclub brought anger and protests over graft and public administration failings.
Run by an official convicted of electoral fraud, which he denies, the PSD appears to have won the support of many Romanians with promises of increased social spending and economic security.
Dragnea has remained in his post as party chief despite being convicted earlier last year in a 2012 referendum rigging case for which he received a two-year suspended jail sentence.
Romania's EU partners will likely closely monitor government activity, as the leftists are perceived as being soft on high-level corruption, while their electoral promises point to high budget spending. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None