Romanian president delays nomination of premier until Christmas
The Romanian president has postponed the nomination of the country’s new prime minister until after Christmas, saying he needs more time to deliberate on proposals for the post.
Klaus Iohannis said Thursday that he had received “two proposals” on who should be premier, adding that further discussions were needed to appoint a prime minister designate.
“In the coming days I will have talks and the designation will take place after Christmas,” said Iohannis a day after Sevil Shhaideh, a female Muslim, was proposed by Romania's Social Democrats (PSD) to take on as new premier.
Iohannis would not elaborate on the reasons for the delayed announcement. He was expected to give official support to Shhaideh, a 52-year-old economist and former development minister who could become Romania's first female Muslim premier, on Thursday. Romania’s parliament should approve the nomination.
The PSD rose to prominence in parliament on December 11, after the party won 45 percent of the vote in the general election. The party leads Romania's new coalition government alongside the smaller Alliance of Liberals and Democrats.
Shhaideh’s nomination has been met with criticism as many in the opposition who say she would be the effective mouthpiece of PSD leader Liviu Dragnea.
Dragnea withdrew his bid to become prime minister on Wednesday as the law bars him from office over a two-year suspended sentence he has been given for electoral fraud. The PSD chairman has suggested that the law could be tweaked, showing that he still hopes to become prime minister.
Romania is one of the poorest countries in the European Union. It saw riots last year which many blamed on endemic corruption.
The unrest, which was triggered by a deadly nightclub fire that killed 64 people, forced the PSD from office.
The party has vowed that it would do its best to boost wages and pensions and cut taxes in its comeback.
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