Prime minister of Romania names new Cabinet for minority goverment

The day after droping  his main  coalition ally and forming  a minority  goverment  the  prime minister of Romania  named  new cabinet ministers. 

Photo: Prime minister of Romania names new Cabinet for minority goverment

Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that the country needed a coherent government and on Sunday fired ministers from the Democratic Party, which is close to President Traian Basescu. He accused the president of undermining the coalition by fueling disputes inside the Cabinet.

The new government is made up of Tariceanu's Liberal Party and the main ethnic Hungarian party, the Democratic Union of Hungarians. It needs parliamentary approval but is likely to pass because the leftist opposition Social Democratic Party has promised its support.

Tariceanu named Teodor Melescanu, a former foreign minister and senior Liberal party member as the country's new defense minister.

He repeated his choice of Adrian Cioroianu as foreign minister. Basescu had earlier blocked that appointment, saying Cioroianu lacked the necessary experience, and the country has been without a foreign minister for weeks.

"Foreign policy should be a question of debate not of scandal," said Cioroianu, referring to the ongoing rift between Tariceanu and Basescu over the portfolio.

Tudor Chiuariu, who heads the anti-fraud department in the prime minister's office, has been proposed as the new Justice Minister, a position that will be closely watched by the European Union, which Romania joined on Jan. 1. Romania has been told that it needs to continue reforms in justice.

Tariceanu named Liberal Cristian David as interior minister and Ludovic Orban, deputy mayor of Bucharest, as transportation minister. Both portfolios were previously held by the Democratic Party.

Ethnic Hungarians get two new ministries in the reshuffle. Laszlo Borbely was named minister for development, public works and homes, while Attila Korodi was named environment minister. Tariceanu also replaced Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu, a Liberal, with economy minister Varujan Vosganian.

Parliament will vote later this month on whether to begin impeachment proceedings against Basescu, after an opposition-dominated investigating commission said that he violated the constitution and was causing political instability in the country.