Romanian President Iohannis appoints interim prime minister

President Klaus Iohannis signed on June 22 the decree appointing Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea as interim prime minister, during the period in which Prime Minister Victor Ponta can’t exercise his attributions due to health problems. Ponta, who went through a knee operation in Turkey last week, wrote the president a letter to announce him that he couldn’t exercise his attributions for a period and suggested Oprea as interim prime minister. Gabriel Oprea is the president of UNPR, a key political party in keeping together the governing alliance. He recently said that UNPR would leave the alliance, if the Social Democrat Party "stealthily" changes the Penal Code. Romanian PM misses hearing in corruption case for surgery in Turkey. Dutch ambassador’s wife has surgery in Romania while PM goes to Turkey for intervention. editor@romania-insider.com