Romanian Prime Minister will not run for second office in 2016 elections

Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta recently said that he will not run for prime minister in the 2016 elections, adding that he had several colleagues in the ruling coalition that could take his place. He made the statement during a local TV show. However, when asked if he never wanted to be prime minister again, he replied “Never say never.” Ponta added that he wanted the current coalition parties to win the majority in next year’s elections. Victor Ponta, who has been Romania’s Prime Minister since May 2012, recently stepped down as president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the biggest party of the current ruling coalition, and seems to be losing his influence over the party after his former lieutenant Liviu Dragnea took over as interim president. Ponta named another successor, labor minister Rovana Plumb, but the party’s most influential leaders elected Liviu Dragnea instead. Ponta also has some legal issues to solve, as Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started investigating him in May this year. In June, Ponta stirred a lot of media comments after he unexpectedly left the country to get his knee fixed in Turkey, leaving deputy prime minister Gabriel Oprea in charge of the Government. Many of Ponta's colleagues were unsatisfied with the situation and called on him to return to the country and resume his duties. Romanian anticorruption prosecutors indict PM Victor Ponta, seize some of his assets Romanian Prime Minister resumes activity after knee surgery in Turkey Romania’s President asks Prime Minister to resign Romanian PM leaves his party’s helm editor@romania-insider.com