A new leadership for the Social Democratic Party

The Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition in Romania, has a new leadership.

Roxana Vasile, 19.10.2015, 14:28

As of October 18th, the Social Democratic Party, Romanias main political party in the current ruling coalition, has a new leadership, whose premature birth was rushed by the summer resignation of its former leader and incumbent Prime Minister, Victor Ponta.

With a landslide win of 97% of over 530 thousand votes by party members, the new party leader, Liviu Dragnea, got validation from Congress on Sunday. 4,000 delegates cast their votes for the position of executive president and for 14 vice-presidents, a new team meant to assist Liviu Dragnea in his new position. But how is the newly elected president seeing his fresh staff?

Liviu Dragnea: “From my point of view, they can only have three objectives, precisely in this order: Romania, peoples well-being and the partys modernization. Their personal careers come only second, way after the other objectives.

Elected executive president, Valeriu Zgonea, who is also president of the Chamber of Deputies, has come up with a new vision for the partys political project: to adjust to the present realities and expectations of society: to be in the frontline of changing the way politics is being done in Romania; and last but not least to show decency, integrity and responsibility, all landmarks of the Social-Democrats public policies.

Valeriu Zgonea: “Wed like to show that we are the only party capable of creating a society in which people stand equal chances; that we are the only party combining economic development with social inclusion; that we are the only ones who think about solidarity, equality and social justice and we are the only ones who always keep their promises.

After the anti-communist revolution, the Social Democratic Party, PSD, ruled Romania for 15 years and held the countrys presidency for 10 years. However, in the vision of the Liberal opposition, once a partner of the Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party has ruined the Romanianss chances to live in an open, performing and fair society. Furthermore, in the opinion of Liberal vice-president, Catalin Predoiu, the cabinet led by Victor Ponta, who is currently being tried for corruption, isnt functional.

Catalin Predoiu: “Victor Ponta has lost the party support and the control of the government. The administration isnt functioning any more. The Romanian Prime Minister is no longer received anywhere in the civilized world. All these because the Social Democratic Party is presently being affected by intestine fights. Thats the real face and modernity of the Social Democratic Party. If the new president, Liviu Dragnea, wants to give a chance to the modernization of the PSD, he should withdraw political support for the Ponta cabinet as early as tomorrow and the next day he and Ponta should give up political careers altogether.

According to the National-Liberals, communism is the foundation of the Social-Democratic Party. The Social Democrats, who convened in the Palace Hall in downtown Bucharest, renowned for having hosted the Communist Partys sessions back in the day, are now trying to contradict what they believe is a fixed idea of their political opponents.