Romania’s ruling coalition nominates Mihai Tudose for prime minister

Romania’s ruling coalition nominates Mihai Tudose for prime minister
By Iulian Ernst in Bucharest June 26, 2017

Romania’s senior ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) has nominated Mihai Tudose for the prime minister seat, the party’s vice-president Lia Olguta Vasilescu told a press conference on June 26. 

Tudose, who was not among one of the higher-profile politicians reportedly considered for the post, will most likely serve as a lieutenant of PSD president Liviu Dragnea, who cannot hold the position himself due to his conviction in a corruption case. This means that — assuming his nomination is accepted by President Klaus Iohannis — he is likely to press ahead with the PSD’s current ruling programme. 

The PSD’s junior coalition partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Alde) has already confirmed that it will support Tudose’s appointment, giving the PSD’s nominee a majority in both houses of parliament. 

However, he still has to be officially nominated by Iohannis, who turned down Dragnea’s original nomination for prime minister after the December 2016 presidential election. Tudose is also a somewhat controversial choice for the position, since he has admitted to plagiary and is also the subject of rumours of connections to the intelligence services. 

Until mid-June, he served as economy minister in the cabinet of Sorin Grindeanu, who was ousted in a confidence vote called by the PSD after he fell out with Dragnea. Tudose, along with almost all Grindeanu’s other ministers, resigned on Dragnea’s orders ahead of the vote. 

One of the reasons given by the PSD for calling the confidence vote was the failure of Grindeanu’s government to carry out many of the PSD’s ambitious pre-election promises. Vasilescu, however, praised Tudose’s work as minister of economy, in contrast to the PSD’s damning report on the government as a whole. 

Vasilescu herself had been considered a candidate to replace Grindeanu, as had former Minister of Interior Carmen Dan. However, after both the politicians refused the position, the party leadership picked Tudose — the only one of the five or six names under consideration who volunteered for the seat. 

Currently 50, Tudose attended a private law school immediately after the fall of communism and embarked upon a career in politics, starting out in the local PSD organisation in the city of Brailia. In 2000, he became a member of the chamber of deputies, Romania’s lower house of parliament. 

While serving as an MP, Tudose also continued his education. In 2006, he graduated from the Colegiul Superior de Securitate Nationala, a school under the coordination of the intelligence services (SRI). He went on to take a master’s degree and a PhD. However, after reports he had plagiarised his PhD thesis appeared in the Romanian media, he had to give up the title — though not before explaining that he had in fact paid the original author of the text to use his material.

 

News

Dismiss