Eight Social-Democratic ministers in Bucharest have lost their portfolios
Sworn in in January, the current cabinet led by Social Democrat Viorica Dăncilă is already undergoing a major reshuffle in November. The National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, on Monday decided to replace at least eight ministers. Gabriel Leş makes a return as Defence Minister, replacing Mihai Fifor who said he left office to coordinate Social Democratic Party departments. The chairman of the Budget- Finances Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Marius Budăi, becomes minister of Labour and Social Justice, instead of Lia Olguţa Vasilescu. Senator Niculae Bădălău takes over the Economy portfolio from Dănuţ Andruşcă. The former minister for SMEs, Alexandru Petrescu, is again joining the government team, replacing Petru Bogdan Cojocaru. Mathematician Daniel Breaz takes over the Culture portfolio from actor George Ivaşcu, and Senator Constantin-Bogdan Matei replaces Ioana Bran at the Youth and Sports Ministry.
The reshuffle "got stuck" however on Tuesday, at the Presidential Administration. Romania's President, Klaus Iohannis has announced he does not agree to Mrs Vasilescu's taking over the Transports portfolio, replacing Lucian Şova and to Ilan Laufer's rejoining the government team, this time as Development minister instead of party dissident Paul Stănescu, who is at loggerheads with the party leader, Liviu Dragnea. A consistent critic of the government, the president has deemed the reshuffle "a poor solution", pointing that a correct solution would be to replace the whole Government. The head of state also said Romania needs high performing ministers, especially in the run up to Romania's taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, as from January 1, 2019.
Actually, this is the main reason evoked by Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă to explain the reshuffle: "We want to boost activity in some domains. There is room for the better in some areas and this is what we had in mind when coming up with this government reshuffle. We will take over the presidency of the EU Council and we need people with a rich experience and willing to get involved more and this is a second reason why this government reshuffle has been made."
In exchange, the leader of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, Ludovic Orban, says the Social Democratic Party has failed to comply with the electoral pledges it made; he is denouncing the preferential practices pursued to serve the Power's cronies:
Ludovic Orban: "The reshuffle does not do any good to the functioning of the government, and it will do nothing else but bring to the forefront other incompetents, other people who have nothing to do with the domain in which they will carry out their activity, who are selected on the single criteria of loyalty, of servitude to Dragnea."
The media underlines that, under the Constitution, the president can refuse only once a nomination for the government team and forecasts that the political war between the President and the Government will be waged on a different battlefield, that of legal procedures, notifications and appeals in court.
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