Romania’s Prime Minister Mihai Tudose announced in a TV live debate on October 9 that he would invite “at least two ministers” to leave the cabinet within a few days. 

His statements were interpreted as the imminent dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh — a close collaborator of the ruling coalition’s leader Liviu Dragnea — and who recently came under investigation by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).

“There are still at least two ministers that I will ask to leave the cabinet,” said Tudose told Mihai Gadea’s show on Antena 3. 

Tudose also admitted that there are tensions between him and Dragnea and he added that the disagreements should be settled at a meeting on October 10. 

The tensions between the two might be related to diverging views regarding the activity of the DNA. While Dragnea, himself subject to a couple of DNA's investigations, believes prosecutors are often politically biased, Tudose stressed that "he does not believe DNA is opening investigations only to generate government reshuffles". 

The ongoing criminal investigations against some ministers are dragging down the government's credibility, including among European Union officials, Tudose said in a statement broadly interpreted as announcing the dismissal of Shaideh and EU Funds Minister Rovana Plumb, who is being probed in the same case as Shaideh. 

The two are suspected of being involved in the illegal transfer of Belina Island from central to local government property, and later giving the land as a concession to a private company. The ultimate beneficiary of the transfer was Teldrum — a firm broadly suspected of being owned by Dragnea. Related to this case, Dragnea claimed in September that the DNA aims to destroy the government and the senior ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The third government member involved in a criminal investigation is Minister for Liaison with Parliament Viorel Ilie, although he is not yet formally under investigation because Senators rejected the DNA’s request. Ilie allegedly helped preferred candidates get hired in his ministry by disclosing classified information.

A poll carried out by Avangarde agency and published on October 6 revealed that Romanians' trust in the government formed by the PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) has fallen in the last month and is somewhere between 25%-26%. Only 27% of Romanians have a favourable opinion of Tudose, lower than last month.