Romanian Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu resigned on September 5, after earlier in the day the ministry he headed issued a statement saying it was not able to pay the wages of the military staff in full, as the budget revision for this year had not been carried out. The statement was shortly contradicted by the finance ministry which claimed there is enough money for the payments.

Apart from what seems to have been a communication mix up between the ministries, the move might signal tensions within the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD). Unnamed sources quoted by news portal Hotnews.ro claimed Tutuianu had been reportedly mentioned as a possible replacement for the current party leader Liviu Dragnea. Tutuianu was reportedly enjoying the support of some party leaders, unhappy with the current PSD head.

The sources claimed Dragnea did not like the fact Tutuianu was going to pay a visit to the US or that opinion polls show he has become a credible politician. “He was waiting for him to make a mistake and Tutuianu managed the wage problem in the defence ministry badly,” unnamed sources from PSD told Hotnews.ro.

Earlier in the day, the defence ministry issued a statement claiming it will pay the wages of military staff in stages, pending a budget revision expected in September.

Later, Prime Minister Mihai Tudose told RTV television that he had accepted Tutuianu’s resignation and that he had proposed Vice Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to take over the interim position, according to News.ro. Tudose stressed there was enough money for wages.

The finance ministry also issued a statement claiming “there are no difficulties related to the payment of the employees of the defence ministry.”

Romania, a Nato member, has pledged to allocate 2% of its GDP to defence per year. Last month, Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) approved a €9.8bn defence spending package for the period 2017-2026 aimed at upgrading the country’s military.

Bucharest is currently stepping up military procurement. Last month, the US State Department approved a possible sale of high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and related support and equipment to Romania worth an estimated $1.25bn.

At the end of July, Tutuianu confirmed Bucharest plans to buy a $3.9bn (€3.4bn) Patriot missile defence system. The government will also purchase  36 new F-16 jet fighters from the US by 2022. In the shorter term, Romania’s defence ministry needs 173 lorries “in a first stage” and around 100 buses for transporting troops, Tutuianu announced, hinting that more lorries will be acquired later.

Tutuianu’s resignation is not the first signal of tensions within PSD. In June, Romania’s parliament endorsed a motion submitted by the ruling coalition against the government it appointed just four months earlier, which saw former prime minister Sorin Grindeanu ousted in favour of Tudose after an apparent falling out with Dragnea. 

Meanwhile, former PSD leader and ex-prime minister Victor Ponta announced on September 2 he will join the Pro Romania party, founded by former deputy prime minister Daniel Constantin.