BUCHAREST: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday named social-democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the nation’s new prime minister, bringing to a close weeks of uncertainty since the left won a parliamentary vote on December 11.

The centre-right president has signed a decree naming Grindeanu, a 43-year-old former communications minister, as the new premier.

Grindeanu now faces a confidence vote in parliament on his programme and cabinet nominees. </s> Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday named social-democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the nation’s new prime minister, bringing to a close weeks of uncertainty since the left won a parliamentary vote on December 11.

The centre-right president has signed a decree naming Grindeanu, a 43-year-old former communications minister, as the new premier.

Grindeanu now faces a confidence vote in parliament on his programme and cabinet nominees.

The nomination sought to put an end to a political crisis in Romania sparked when after Iohannis rejected a previous candidate who would have been the country’s first female and first Muslim prime minister.

The president offered no reasons for his rejection of Sevil Shhaideh, initially put forward by the Social Democrats (PSD), but there was speculation that it was due to her Syrian husband’s background.

Shhaideh, 52, who has only five months ministerial experience, is from Romania’s small and long-established Turkish minority, but her Muslim faith is not thought to have been the problem.

The PSD had proposed the previously little-known Shhaideh after its thumping poll victory on December 11 when it won 45 percent of the vote, enough to form a majority coalition with its partners ALDE.

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea had withdrawn his own bid to become prime minister because of a conviction that bars him from office.

The PSD’s election triumph came barely a year since anger over a deadly nightclub fire that killed 64 people forced it from office.

The inferno was blamed on corruption — something Brussels has long complained about since Romania joined the EU in 2007. </s> Romania's president has nominated a regional politician as the next prime minister, after turning down an economist who could have become the country's first female Muslim premier.

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday endorsed Sorin Grindeanu, 43, to become premier. Grindeanu is a member of the Social Democratic Party that won Dec. 11 elections, and chairman of the Timis county council. Parliament needs to approve him.

The nomination came after Iohannis declined to endorse Sevil Shhaideh.

As well as her lack of political experience, Shhaideh sparked concerns due to reports about her Syrian-born husband's support of Syrian President Bashar Assad on his Arabic-language Facebook page.

Social Democrat chairman Liviu Dragnea cannot become premier because he was convicted this year of election fraud. </s> President Klaus Iohannis designated Sorin Grindeanu. Grindeanu, 43, was the second nomination of the Social-Democrat Party-led coalition.

The President rejected the first candidate, Sevil Shhaideh, who would have been Romania’s first female and Muslim Prime Minister.

Grindeanu is a former communications minister (2014-2015) and is currently the leader of a county council in western Romania.

Both candidates are largely junior members of the Social Democratic Party, seen as standing in for the leader of PSD, Liviu Dragnea.

Early on, Klaus Iohannis made it clear he would not nominate Liviu Dragnea, who is serving two years suspended sentence for electoral fraud. Dragnea was convicted in April for cheating in the referendum to impeach the former President Traian Basescu in 2012.

Romanians went to the polls two weeks ago, with the PSD securing 46% of the vote and along with their junior coalition partners – the Liberal Democratic Alliance – they hold a 52% majority. </s> President Klaus Iohannis has designated veteran leftist Sorin Grindeanu as the new Romanian head of government. Previously, Iohannis refused to endorse a female, Muslim candidate who was criticized for her inexperience....
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• Romanian president rejects left's candidate for prime minister DW World (3 days ago) - Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has rejected the leftist Social Democrat Party's (PSD) proposal to name... </s> Romania’s president on Friday named social-democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the nation’s new prime minister, bringing to a close weeks of uncertainty since the left won a parliamentary vote on December 11. The centre-right president Klaus Iohannis signed the official decree naming Grindeanu, a 43-year-old former communications minister, as the new premier. Grindeanu now faces a confidence vote in parliament on his programme and cabinet nominees.

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The nomination sought to put an end to a political crisis sparked when Iohannis rejected a previous candidate who would have been the country’s first female and first Muslim prime minister.

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The president offered no reasons for his rejection of Sevil Shhaideh, initially put forward by the Social Democrats (PSD), but there was speculation that it was due to her Syrian husband’s background.

Sources close to the president had indicated yesterday that Grindeanu was considered a “better solution.”

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He is seen in Romania as a “disciplined soldier” within the PSD ranks and said himself in a recent interview that he had joined the party very young as an outlet for his leftist convictions. The PSD had proposed the previously little-known Shhaideh after its thumping poll victory on December 11 when it won 45 per cent of the vote, enough to form a majority coalition with its partners ALDE.

Shhaideh, 52, who has only five months ministerial experience, is from Romania’s small and long-established Turkish minority, but her Muslim faith is not thought to have been the problem.

Instead the focus was likely on her husband, 54, who worked in the Syrian agriculture ministry for 20 years before emigrating to Romania in 2011 and marrying Shhaideh the same year, according to the PSD.

Website HotNews cited unnamed sources as saying that the security services had “strongly cautioned” against Shhaideh’s nomination because of the closeness of her husband and his two brothers to President Bashar al-Assad regime.

This might have made giving Shhaideh the necessary security clearances to be the NATO member’s prime minister problematic. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea had withdrawn his own bid to become prime minister because of a conviction that bars him from office.

On Tuesday after Shhaideh’s rejection, Dragnea said the PSD was considering its options including moving to suspend Iohannis or going to the constitutional court. “In our opinion the president is determined to set off a political crisis,” Dragnea had warned. “If our conclusion is that it is in the country’s interest to suspend Mr Iohannis, I won’t hesitate.”

However, any attempt by the PSD to remove the head of state would have been problematic because Iohannis was entitled to request a second proposal for premier. </s> Bucharest: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday gave the mandate to Sorin Grindeanu, a second candidate proposed for the post of Prime Minister, to form a new government.

The ruling coalition led by the Social Democratic Party nominated Grindeanu on Wednesday, a day after the President rejected its first nominee Sevil Shhaideh, a female Muslim from the ethnic Tatar minority, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the country's constitution, Grindeanu has 10 days to form a government, and win a confidence vote in parliament.

Grindeanu, 43, became chairman of the Timis county council after local elections in June 2016.

Also read: Romania set to have its first woman and first Muslim Prime Minister

He has been a member of the Social Democratic Party since 1996 and served as Communications Minister between December 2014 and November 2015.

The Social Democrats won more than 45 per cent of the vote in the December 11 general elections.

Together with its junior partner, the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals, it has an outright majority of 250 seats in the 465-member parliament. </s> BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's president on Tuesday appointed the defense minister as interim prime minister after Premier Mihai Tudose unexpectedly resigned.

President Klaus Iohannis named Mihai Fifor to temporarily take the post of prime minister, saying the current "political uncertainty should not degenerate into political instability" and cause negative economic effects.

Tudose, who took office in June 2017, quit late Monday after the left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for him amid a power struggle with powerful party chairman Liviu Dragnea. Dragnea himself can't be prime minister due to a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

FILE - In this Thursday, June 29, 2017, file photo Romanian Premier Mihai Tudose removes his glasses before a parliament vote on the new Romanian government in Bucharest, Romania. Romania's prime minister has resigned, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, after his party withdrew its support amid a power struggle with party chairman after Romania's ruling left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for Mihai Tudose after a meeting lasting more than five hours.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

The resignation plunged Romania's currency, the leu, close to record-low levels and a two-week low against the euro Tuesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is visiting Romania at the end a six-country European tour, arrived Tuesday, but lunch and talks with the Romanian prime minister were canceled due to the political crisis.

Abe will meet Iohannis later Tuesday for talks.

The Social Democrats later named Viorica Dancila, a European MEP since 2009 and ally of Dragnea, as their choice for prime minister. Dragnea said her connections with EU officials would benefit the government.

Iohannis will consult with political parties Wednesday before formally proposing a candidate for prime minister who needs to get parliamentary approval.

The Social Democrats won elections in Dec. 2016 and ousted the previous Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu in a no-confidence vote after he fell out with Dragnea. </s> BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister and his government were ousted Wednesday in a no-confidence vote submitted by members of his own party.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the motion, more than the 233 votes required. The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion to oust Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, saying that he had failed to implement the party’s political agenda.

Grindeanu, in office since January, had refused to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance. He claims powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea wants to replace him with a party loyalist.

“This is a sad day for us. The premier did not perform,” Dragnea told lawmakers before the vote Wednesday. “It didn’t go badly, it went quite well, but that’s not enough.”

Dragnea himself is barred from being prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

After the vote was announced, some Social Democrats hugged each other. The party will now choose a candidate for prime minister who needs to be nominated by President Klaus Iohannis. Talks with the president are scheduled for Monday and Iohannis has the right to refuse a candidate. Parliament then votes to approve the new government.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis designates social-democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the country's new prime minister, after the victory of the centre-left PSD earlier this month.