On the last day of 2018, the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) has made another call to President Klaus Iohannis, asking him to sign the decrees to appoint the two new proposed ministers for the Development and Transports portfolios. Former Labour minister Olguta Vasilescu is proposed to taker over the Regional Development ministry and Mircea Draghici for Transports.
PSD argues that the situation of the two resigning ministers comes amid Romania’s taking over the Presidency of the EU Council.
“We ask the President to put aside the political vendettas and to unblock this situation that is deeply affecting Romania’s image at European level“, the Social Democrats say in a Facebook post on Monday.
An argument on naming the two ministers has been going on in the past weeks between PM Viorica Dancila and President Klaus Iohannis, with the head of state’s last announcement saying he will not sign the decrees this year.
In a TV interview on Sunday evening, PM Dancila has stated though that, even if the Romanian President hasn’t done good things for Romania, including not naming the two new ministers, she would not sing a potential request to charge Iohannis of high treason. Dancila reminded tat she had gone through such an experience, when the President had accused her of high treason for taking stance on the relocation of the Romanian embassy to Jerusalem.
“The fact that we have not had ministers for two very important fields, considering that we take over the Presidency of the EU Council, has not been beneficial. A President must do what is good for his country (…) I don’t know if I’d sign a request for high treason, for I had myself such an accusation on a relation with a strategic partner, Israel. I know how unpleasant has been to explain that to our strategic partners. We have to make an analysis, to see what from the President’s actions is in Romania’s interest and what is not,” the premier told Antena 3, adding that she doesn’t consider the head of state as a political foe.
PM Dancila also said that, for what she understands, President Iohannis wants to go to the European Council, criticising the head of state for this. She argued that Presidency of the EU Council is held by the prime minister and by the Government and if the president wants to represent Romania to the European Council would by an atypical situation, which will not be beneficial for Romania.