Romanian PM appoints Sibiu mayor his deputy, ruling coalition expected to name new ministers on Tuesday

Klaus Iohannis, the mayor of central Romanian city of Sibiu, will be vice – prime minister in charge of economics, and a further Government restructuring will be discussed within the ruling coalition meeting on Tuesday, February 11. Romanian PM Victor Ponta announced the appointment of Iohannis, who had been nominated by the National Liberal Party PNL to lead the Interior Ministry. His naming was discussed within the Social Liberal Union USL on Monday, February 10, and is 'set in stone', according to the PM. The USL will decide what to do with the recently vacated ministerial seats. The Finance, Economy, and Interior Ministers recently resigned. “These were political decisions within the PNL, but as ministers, I have nothing to criticize,” said Ponta. On Tuesday, the USL is expected to announce the Government form “which we believe to be the most functional until 2016,” the PM added. this will be the second meeting on the topic, after the one held on Monday, which, according to commentators, did not lead to consensus. Late last week, by PNL decision, Klaus Iohannis, the Sibiu mayor, was proposed as Interior Minister and vice – Prime Minister, while Teodor Atanasiu is to take the Economy Ministry helm; Eugen Nicolaescu, currently the Health Minister, should become the Finance minister, while Cristian Busoi is due to take his place at the helm of the Health Ministry. Economy Minister steps down four months into office Romania’s Finance Ministry quits Government job to focus on party’s activity during electoral year Romanian Interior Minister Stroe resigns over lengthy rescue mission after plane crash editor@romania-insider.com