Tensions between Romania's ruling coalition leaders on justice minister seat

The leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) - the main party in the current ruling coalition in Romania, Liviu Dragnea is unhappy with the activity of the current justice minister Tudorel Toader and may decide to change him, according to political sources cited by the local media. This has led to new tensions between the coalition’s leaders. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, the leader of junior coalition partner ALDE, said on Wednesday, September 27, that he had great appreciation for justice minister Tudorel Toader’s activity and that it’s clear he shouldn’t be changed and that there are no reasons for changing any liberal-democrat minister. Liviu Dragnea reacted on Thursday, saying that the justice minister’s seat belongs to PSD and that ALDE only has four portfolios in the government, as initially agreed, local Mediafax reported. “It’s very good that we express our appreciation for one minister or another, but the decision in this case belongs to PSD’s Executive Committee,” Dragnea said, without confirming the intention of dismissing the justice minister. Tariceanu responded saying that Tudorel Toader was an independent minister on a position held by PSD but that there was no discussion within the coalition about dismissing him. “I’m sure that Mr. Dragnea didn’t mean to start a dispute. We are in a coalition where none of us would have a majority without the other,” he added. The PSD leader’s dissatisfaction with the justice minister comes from Tudorel Toader’s reluctance in supporting some of PSD’s initiatives in the justice area, including an emergency ordinance for amnesty and pardoning that would help clear the people investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and even convicted based on secret cooperation protocols between the DNA and the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI). Moreover, the PSD leader recently asked the justice minister to correct the way judge panels at the High Court are selected. Dragnea allegedly asked Toader to issue an emergency ordinance in this sense, according to local newspaper Adevarul. The PSD leader is directly interested in this matter, as a panel of five High Court judges will soon review the case in which Dragnea was sentenced earlier this year to three years and six months in jail for abuse of office. A few days ago, Dragnea said that the fact he was not a PSD member was not an issue for justice minister Tudorel Toader, but his actions were. On the same occasion, Dragnea reminded Tariceanu that PSD should also have had the Senate president position after the 2016 elections but decided to support Tariceanu for this position.