Romanian PM gets more fire from his own party

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has finalized the evaluation of the Government’s activity and is expected to present the conclusions and proposals to make the cabinet more efficient today, according to PSD president Liviu Dragnea. Recent statements by PSD leaders show that Prime Minister Grineanu may be forced to resign. “It hasn’t been an easy analysis (…) We can’t’ accept that part of the governing program remains unfulfilled,” Dragnea said yesterday. “I haven’t said that I want a government reshuffle or to change the prime minister. Some ministers can hold on to their seats, in their mind. I told them to start from the idea that these positions are not for life,” he added. The PSD leader said on Friday that all the ministers in the Sorin Grindeanu cabinet, including the PM himself, signed undated resignations when the Government was formed, in early January this year. However, he added that he didn’t plan to activate these resignations as it didn’t seem like a fair procedure. Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and his cabinet have seen increasing pressure from their own party as some important PSD leaders are unhappy with the Government’s activity. The most powerful attacks came from Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea, who said last week that her collaboration with the Grindeanu cabinet has been even worse than with the technocrat government led by Dacian Ciolos. She also suggested that Sorin Grindeanu has shown signs of independence that some of his decisions haven’t been discussed with the governing coalition leaders. “If he doesn’t find the political support useful anymore then maybe he has some other kind of support,” Firea said. She also presented a scenario in which the whole government would be dismissed and the parliamentary majority would present a new Prime Minister proposal to President Klaus Iohannis. She added that the new PM could be a woman from the current cabinet or from the Parliament. Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu reacted to the recent rumors about his possible change saying that Romania needs political stability and predictability and that there shouldn’t be any new changes, political crises, or other elections. Liviu Dragnea’s answer to the PM’s post was that “a country’s stability doesn’t stand in one person.” editor@romania-insider.com