Romanian PM Victor Ponta names his potential successors, gets new backers for the presidential elections

Romanian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Victor Ponta said that former Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu is his first political option to succeed him as head of the Government, if he gets elected President. Ponta also named first deputy governor of Romania’s National Bank (BNR) Florin Georgescu and the director of the country’s largest intelligence service - SRI George Maior as possible successors. “My first political option is Calin Popescu Tariceanu,” Ponta said on Tuesday, November 4. He added that a technocrat Prime Minister could be taken into consideration in certain situations. For example, if Romania should face financial problems, former Finance Minister Florin Georgescu could be asked to take lead of the cabinet. If the international and internal security context should deteriorate, George Maior would be better prepared to take the job, Ponta explained. He mentioned that any nomination for Prime Minister must first be approved by the political parties which make the governing coalition. The coalition is made of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Ponta’s own party, the National Union for Romania’s Progress (UNPR), the Conservative Party (PC), and the Democratic Magyar Union (UDMR). Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s Reformist Liberal party (PLR), which spun off the National Liberal Party (PNL) earlier this year, was also formally accepted in the coalition. Ponta said that he aims to remake the Social Liberal Union (USL). Tariceanu, 62, was Prime Minister from December 2004 until December 2008. He is currently president of Romania’s Senate. He’s also a businessman and owns the company which distributes the Harley Davidson motorcycles in Romania. Victor Ponta won 40.4% of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections, on Sunday, November 2. He has a 10% lead over his opponent, Sibiu’s mayor Klaus Iohannis, according to final results. Calin Popescu Tariceanu also run in the first round of the elections and came third, with 5.4% of the votes. He already announced that he will support Ponta in the second round. UDMR’s Hunor Kelemen, who got 3.5% of the votes in the first round, will also probably ask his voters to vote for Ponta in the second round, as UDMR is part of the Government. Two other presidential candidates, Corneliu Vadim Tudor and Teodor Melescanu, also announced they will back Ponta in the second round. Vadim Tudor and Melescanu got 4.77% of the votes in the first round. This means that Ponta has theoretically secured his victory, on paper, as his backers had 54% of the votes in the first round. Many things can change, however, until the second round and it’s not sure that any of the mentioned candidate’s voters will also vote for Ponta. editor@romania-insider.com