Romanian PM wants to get Parliament’s vote for reshuffled cabinet, new President says power change possible in 2015

Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta is trying to reshuffle his Government and to get new confidence vote from the Parliament by the end of this year, to secure his position, which was weakened by his defeat in the presidential elections. Meanwhile, the new President-elect Klaus Iohannis said that a power shift is possible in the following weeks, which would lead to a change in Government. Victor Ponta’s Government had a 65% majority supporting it in the Parliament before the presidential elections, but this may erode in the following weeks, Iohannis predicted. "Everybody wants to be on the winning side. So, it is possible that during the next weeks or months we will have changes in the parliament," Iohannis said in an interview for Reuters. This is probably what Ponta and the other leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) also think, and this is why they are pushing to get a reshuffled Government through the Parliament within the next weeks. Ponta may sacrifice some of the young members of his cabinet, such as Finance Minister Ioana Petrescu, Energy Minister Razvan Nicolescu, and Education Minister Remus Pricopie, to free some seats for former Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s Liberal Reformist Party (PLR) in the new Cabinet. However, Ponta may lose the support from the Magyar Democratic Union (UDMR), which was to decide this week if it will continue to be a part of Ponta’s coalition or if it will start negotiations for a new majority with Iohannis’ National Liberal Party (PNL). editor@romania-insider.com