Romania is to have a new government

After the Liberals’ recent split from the government, the other three parties in power, namely the Social Democratic Party and its junior partners, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Conservative Party, respectively, have recovered sooner than expected. In search for a new ally able to help the coalition secure a comfortable majority in parliament, the Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has predictably opted for the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, that has been in power almost constantly, ever since the mid-1990s.

Florentin Căpitănescu, 04.03.2014, 13:33

After the Liberals’ recent split from the government, the other three parties in power, namely the Social Democratic Party and its junior partners, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Conservative Party, respectively, have recovered sooner than expected. In search for a new ally able to help the coalition secure a comfortable majority in parliament, the Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has predictably opted for the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, that has been in power almost constantly, ever since the mid-1990s.

The new government, however, will not enjoy the same parliamentary support as the previous one, which was backed by almost 70% of the Social Liberal Union’s MPs. That is the reason why it will be quite difficult, not to say impossible, for the new majority, to pass through Parliament important projects such as the Constitution revision and the country’s regionalization. By and large, the new Ponta cabinet will stick to most of the key-points of the previous government program, drawn up by the former Social Liberal Union, and will have about the same structure. The Social Democratic Party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Conservative Party will preserve their ministerial seats, while the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania will take over the Culture Ministry and the Environment Ministry, apparently their absolute favorites.

Prime Minister Ponta, however, made some surprising nominations for the positions previously held by the Liberals. So, the former athlete Gabriela Szabo is the prime minister’s option for the Youth and Sports Ministry, while the Finance Minister seat is to be taken by Ioana Petrescu, a Harvard graduate. Ioana Petrescu’s nomination marks two firsts in the history of Romanian politics, as she is the first woman at the helm of the Finance Ministry and also the youngest ever to hold this important position. Another unexpected choice of Prime Minister Ponta is that of actor Bogdan Stanoevici, who, in spite of the fact that he is less known in Romania, might become minister delegate for the Romanians around the world.

The new cabinet will have four deputy prime ministers, one for each party represented in the government. Prime Minister Ponta has said the new government will ensure political stability after weeks of tensions. In terms of goals of the new cabinet, Ponta has mentioned two of the most important ones: sustained economic growth, just like in 2013, and a higher European fund absorption rate.