Romania's ruling party meets to make the new government

The Social Democratic Party’s national executive committee meets on Monday afternoon to decide the ministers of the new cabinet led by former PSD MEP Viorica Dancila. The Parliament will meet in an extraordinary session to vote the government on January 29. President Klaus Iohannis accepted last week PSD’s proposal to name Viorica Dancila as the new prime minister, after the party withdrew its support for Mihai Tudose and he resigned from the PM seat. The structure of the new cabinet will likely be similar to the one Tudose led, with three deputy prime ministers, 26 ministries, and a total of 28 members. Many of the ministers in Mihai Tudose’s cabinet are likely to continue in Viorica Dancila’s team, but there will also be several important changes. Thus, deputy prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, transport minister Felix Stroe, and EU funds minister Marius Nica will surely be changed after openly supporting Mihai Tudose. Ciolacu may be replaced by former EU funds minister Rovana Plumb, who was removed by Tudose from his cabinet in November. Former transport minister Razvan Cuc may also return to his old position. Other portfolios that may see changes are Education, Health, Culture, and even Finance. The selection of the new government has also led to tensions between the ruling party and the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI). PSD decided last week that the new prime minister doesn’t ask for SRI’s clearance for the people nominated for PM, according to the party’s secretary general Codrin Stefanescu. SRI reacted and said that it doesn’t clear the proposed ministers and only provides national security information to legal beneficiaries. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) is in open conflict with the SRI, accusing the intelligence service of being part of the so-called “parallel state” that is trying to control the political power in Romania. Former prime minister Sorin Grindeanu and Mihai Tudose were both accused by some PSD members of having strong connections with SRI. editor@romania-insider.com