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Romanian President Names Tudose As Prime Minister-Designate

Updated

Mihai Tudose
Mihai Tudose

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has appointed Mihai Tudose -- previously Romania's economy minister -- as the country’s prime minister-designate in a move that clears the way for a new leftist Social-Democrat-led government to be formed by the end of this week.

Iohannis told reporters on June 26 that he decided to name Tudose as prime minister-designate after “taking into consideration the [country’s] current crisis, the urgency to end it...as it harms the economy and Romania's external image abroad.”

The move comes after the Social Democratic Party ousted one of its own party members, Sorin Grindeanu, from the prime minister’s post in a June 21 no-confidence vote.

Grindeanu had been in office since January, but the governing Social Democrats filed the no-confidence motion after saying that he had failed to implement the party's political agenda.

Grindeanu claims that the powerful leader of Romania’s Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, pushed for the no-confidence motion in order to replace him with a party loyalist.

Normally, as party leader, Dragnea would be prime minister, but a 2016 vote-rigging conviction disqualifies him from holding the post.

Dragnea said Tudose was one of six potential prime ministers the party had considered. The other five declined the position.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

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