Plans for a government restructuring

PM Mihai Tudose wants to restructure his cabinet, but the decision belongs to the ruling coalition

Roxana Vasile, 11.01.2018, 13:01

The idea of a government restructuring has been circulating for a few days in Romania. However, the Social Democrats, the senior partners in the ruling coalition, are split over the timeliness of this move: while some support the idea of a cabinet with fewer ministries, others are categorically opposed to it. One side says the government must be streamlined and rendered more efficient to allow the Social Democratic Party to carry through its governing platform, while the other believes the government needs continuity, without conflicts and rivalries.

The Prime Minister Mihai Tudose is in favour of restructuring, saying 28 ministries is too much. Asked by journalists about his opinion, the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea gave an ambiguous answer, which reflects the conflicting views within his party. He also pointed out that a final decision cannot be taken without consulting with their coalition partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats.

Liviu Dragnea: “One possibility is to restructure the cabinet, another to reshuffle it. Its also possible that none of these happen and instead we rethink the administrative decision-making process within ministries. In fact, we will have a comprehensive discussion about this at our next Executive Committee meeting. We also have to discuss this subject with our partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, because the restructuring of the government needs to be approved by Parliament.

The defence minister Mihai Fifor more or less shares this view:

Mihai Fifor: “Its prime minister Mihai Tudoses right to propose a different structure for his cabinet if he feels its necessary, but these are matters that have to be discussed and decided within the coalition, for we are not governing on our own but together with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, and also by the Social Democratic Partys Executive Committee, namely the partys decision-making body.

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats says it heard nothing from the prime minister about the plans to restructure the cabinet and calls on him to focus on the countrys prosperity, so that Romanians may feel the benefits of the economic growth. The leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin Popescu Tariceanu:

Calin Popescu Tariceanu: “People are not very interested in how many times we meet every week, how many meetings the government holds and how many ministers it has. They are, however, interested in the quality of the political decisions made in Parliament and the quality of government. These are the things we should focus on, and not on disputes I sometimes view as sterile, useless, and, whats worse, damaging. I have no direct information from the prime minister about plans to restructure the cabinet. The make-up of this government is the result of the coalition between the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and of a protocol agreed on and approved by the two parties in December 2016, after the elections.

The Social Democratic Party will discuss a possible government restructuring at a meeting of its Executive Committee scheduled to take place in Iasi, in the north-east, between the 29th and the 31st of January.

(translated by: Cristina Mateescu)