Ruling Party Treasurer To Run For Electoral Body Presidency
The treasurer of Romania’s ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), Mircea Draghici, announced on Wednesday that he will resign from the party and file his candidacy for chairman of the country’s Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).The party had decided in an executive committee meeting on Tuesday to support Draghici’s candidacy, after former AEP chairman Daniel Barbu resigned on Monday in order to run in the upcoming European elections.
The PSD treasurer announced that he will resign the party, and said that he does not see an issue with running the body which verifies campaign spending, despite his current office.
Mircea Draghici was previously proposed several times for the role of transports minister, but withdrew his candidacy last week after it was repeatedly rejected by President Klaus Iohannis.
The Romanian Parliament decided Wednesday on a timetable to appoint a new AEP chairman, with parliamentary groups set to file their proposals until February 25, and the final vote scheduled for February 27.
Romania is set to hold two national elections in 2019: a European Parliament election on May 26 and a presidential ballot in November. (puterea.ro)
Prime Minister Proposes New Transports And Development Ministers
Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila officially proposed Razvan Cuc as new transports minister and Daniel Suciu as regional development minister on Wednesday, after the two were voted by the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) for the roles in a top brass meeting on Tuesday evening.
The two were nominated in an attempt to end a deadlock on the offices ongoing since November 2018, with President Klaus Iohannis repeatedly rejecting the prime minister’s proposals for the cabinet offices.
Razvan Cuc previously held the transports office between June and October 2017, during the Mihai Tudose cabinet, and resigned following criticism from party leader Liviu Dragnea.
Party sources told MEDIAFAX that his nomination caused arguments during the meeting, as Cuc was elected MP in 2016 while part of the PSD Giurgiu branch, but had recently switched allegiances to the party’s Neamt county affiliate.
Daniel Suciu, the group leader of social democrat MPs in Romania’s Lower Chamber, has not held any previous cabinet roles and is currently serving his second term as MP.
Dragnea threatened President Iohannis with more “direct decisions” from the ruling party if he also rejects these two nominations.
“We convened that, if he will also reject these two proposals, which would be exaggerated, we will hold another meeting and take a more direct decision,” the PSD leader said following Tuesday’s meeting.
According to the Constitution, the Romanian president has the right to refuse a cabinet proposal for a vacant office once. However, he rejected the nominations of Lia Olguta Vasilescu and Mircea Draghici for the two offices multiple times, citing procedural problems with their nominations, for which there is no limit mentioned in Romanian law.
Although top PSD figures announced that the party will consider challenging the president’s refusals at the Constitutional Court, the two nominees announced the withdrawal of their candidacies last week.
President Iohannis has refused all nominations made by the party for the two offices following a cabinet reshuffle in November 2018, citing either procedural problems or the candidates not having the required qualifications for the cabinet roles. (romanialibera.ro)
Sorana Cirstea Qualifies For Budapest Quarterfinals
Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Budapest, which offers total prizes of $250,000, after defeating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic, 6-3, 6-3.
Cirstea (aged 28, 108th WTA) defeated Krunic in one hour and 24 minutes.
Cirstea secured $6,175 and 60 WTA points and will further compete against Russia’s Anastasia Potapova (aged 17, 87th WTA), who defeated Germany’s Andrei Petkovic, 6-2, 7-5. (romanialibera.ro)
Leu Falls Vs Euro
The Romanian leu depreciated against the euro on Wednesday, standing at a midday average rate of 4.7576 units/euro, down 0.20% from 4.7480 units per euro on Tuesday.
The leu also lost ground against the Swiss franc on Wednesday, standing at 4.1895 units, from 4.1805.
Instead, the leu firmed against the US dollar on Wednesday, standing at 4.1938 units, from 4.1981 units.
The price of gold grew to RON181.3376 on Wednesday, from RON179.3925 per gram previously, the highest level since January 3, 2013 when it hit RON182.4256. (romanialibera.ro)