Lia Olguţa Vasilescu has withdrawn her bid for the positions of deputy PM and Minister of Regional Development on Tuesday night. She explained she had taken that decision following a discussion with the Social Democrat Party chairman, Liviu Dragnea and because an appeal to the Constitutional Court would extend the deadlock of the Government’s activity.
“Following a discussion with the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, I decided to withdraw my candidature for the positions of deputy PM and minister of Regional Development. An appeal to CCR means at least one more month and a half of waiting and during this time the government activity would still be hurt by the absence of a minister for an important portfolio, precisely the period when Romania is holding the Presidency of the EU Council.
It is not my personal stake to be in the Government, but I am convinced that, the same way I succeeded in unblocking large local infrastructure projects during my term as mayor or to enforce the ruling programme for the Labour Ministry, I would have also managed to unblock large projects of local, regional or national infrastructure within the ministries where PSD nominated me,” Vasilescu posted on Facebook.
She announced she would remain PSD deputy.
“I will continue may mandate of PSD deputy of Dolj (…) I hope President Klaus Iohannis will urgently name the future nomination for the minister position, giving up to block the Romanian Government by repeatedly breaking the laws and the Constitution, taking into account that the figure that raised so much concern for him is out of the equation”, Vasilescu added.
President Klaus Iohannis sent a letter to Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă on Thursday informing he is rejecting again of the appointment of Lia Olguta Vasilescu as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration. The President argued that he has rejected the nomination because Lia Olguta Vasilescu lacks the necessary training in this field.