The Social Democratic Party after the elections

Social Democratic leader Viorica Dancila resigns two days after losing the presidential elections.

Bogdan Matei, 27.11.2019, 13:50

2019 has been a dark year for the
party that has been dominating the political scene in post-communist Romania,
that is, for the last 30 years. In May, the Social Democratic Party clearly
lost to the National Liberal Party in the European elections, when it won only
half of the number of votes that had brought it to power three years ago. The
following day, Liviu Dragnea, who had a tight grip on the party and the ruling
coalition with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, was sentenced and sent
to prison for acts of corruption. In September, the Liberals and Democrats withdrew
from the ruling coalition and the government led by the party’s new leader,
Viorica Dancila, lost its majority in Parliament. In October, Dancila and her
team lost a no-confidence vote in Parliament initiated by the Liberals, who
duly formed the government as a result. Finally, as her party’s candidate in
the presidential elections, Dancila lost last Sunday’s runoff vote against the
incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, who was backed by the Liberals.

It’s a tradition within the Social
Democratic Party for the candidate who loses the presidential elections to
resign as party leader, something seen with Adrian Nastase, Mircea Geoana and
Victor Ponta, and Viorica Dancila was no exception. On Tuesday night, less than
48 hours after the elections, she lost her colleagues’ support and said she would
resign after a tense meeting of the party’s National Permanent Committee.

The speaker of Parliament’s Chamber
of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu has taken over as interim president of the party. He
is aided by Paul Stanescu as secretary general, by eight regional
vice-presidents and five other leaders of regional branches that had good
results in the presidential elections. The outgoing leader Viorica Dancila will
take over the leadership of the Social Democratic women’s organisation. The
interim president of the Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu:

We have reached the conclusion that
we need to reset the party, so didn’t go around asking for heads to fall. It’s
a first for the Social Democratic Party, and the former leader is also part of
the team, as president of the women’s organisation.

Viorica Dancila says her resignation
is a way of taking responsibility for the election result:

I have understood the opinions of
my colleagues, it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of dignity and it was
my decision to resign as leader of the Social Democratic Party. I have done
this for the party.

A congress will be held next year,
most likely in February, to designate a new leadership ahead of the following
election tests for the Social Democratic Party, the local and the parliamentary
elections.