Surprise proposals within Romania's new Government structure

The proposed structure of Romania's new Government, ready to be voted in the country's Parliament on Tuesday, March 4, includes several new names, most of which outside any political party. The full list of proposed ministers can be found here, they are due to be heard in the special Parliament commissions on Tuesday morning. The Parliament vote will follow at 15,00 on Tuesday, March 4. The proposed Finance Minister, Ioana Petrescu, 34, has been an adviser to the Prime Minister Victor Ponta since September 2013. Petrescu holds a PhD in Economy from the Harvard University, and graduated Wellesley College in the US, with a BS in Economy and Math. Her nomination was a surprise, including for herself, said the PM. Another surprise nomination was that of a former head of corporate affairs with oil and gas company OMV Petrom, Răzvan Nicolescu. He was nominated to lead the Energy Ministry, just days after submitting his resignation from OMV Petrom. He had been working with Petrom for the last five years. Quoted by Ziarul Financiar, Petrom officials said they did not know about his plans when he stepped down from the job. Romanian media link his naming to the renegotiation of the oil and gas royalties due for this year under the Energy Ministry's umbrella. Former Romanian athlete champion Gabriela Szabo is the proposal for the head of the Youth and Sports Ministry. Szabo, 39, won the Olympic Gold in 2000, and numerous international awards, until withdrawing from professional sport in 2005. Razvan Cotovelea, 41, is a specialist in EY funding, who was however proposed to lead the IT Ministry. His latest job in the public sector was that of state secretary in the European Funds Ministry, between 2011 and 2012. Bogdan Stanoevici is the proposal for the seat of Ministry Delegate for Romanians Everywhere. Stanoevici, a former actor, returned to Romania in 2011, after emigrating to France in 2009. Between 1977 and 1989, he appeared in 13 feature length movies. Ten more films followed after 1989. editor@romania-insider.com