Teodor Meleșcanu joins ALDE

Teodor Meleșcanu, former director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) and former Foreign Affairs minister, joined Călin Popescu Tăriceanu’s party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE).

On Tuesday Meleșcanu said he had joined ALDE as “it is part of the European Liberal family”, underlining he doesn’t intend to run for the upcoming local elections and that he hasn’t decided yet on running for Parliament either.

Teodor Meleșcanu was discharged from the state adviser position within PM Ponta’s Chancellery on December 4 by decision of the new premier Dacian Cioloș.

Meleșcanu had been appointed adviser on security and defense affairs by Victor Ponta in November 2014, after the presidential elections where Meleșcanu had also run as independent. After scoring just a 1.09 percent in the first round, he declared support for PSD candidate, Victor Ponta in the runoffs.

Meleșcanu has held SIE director position February 2012-September 2014. Aftre the first round of the presidential elections in 2014, he has also held the Foreign minister position after Titus Corlățean resigned over the Diaspora vote scandal. However, Meleșcanu held this position only for eight days, as he was replaced by Bogdan Aurescu.

It is not the first time that Teodor Meleșcanu teams up with the Senate Speaker, ALDE chairman, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu. Meleșcanu has been minister of Defense and interim Justice minister in the Cabinet led by Tăriceanu during 2004-2008. They were both Liberal members back then.