The Romanian government plans to change current legislation so that people with criminal convictions could be part of the government, according to a draft bill quoted on July 12 by local media.

One of the beneficiaries of the new legislation, if adopted, would be the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea. Despite winning a landslide victory in the December general elections, PSD could not nominate Dragnea to take over the post of prime minister as he had received a two-year suspended sentence for voter manipulation, and Romanian legislations bars people with criminal convictions from being part of the government. The leader of Romania's largest party is also being tried for instigation to abuse of office.

According to the draft bill, people with criminal convictions could be part of the government if they have been rehabilitated. However, Dragnea could not benefit immediately from the changed legislation as he would be rehabilitated only in 2023, considering that last year he received a two-year suspended sentence with four years of probation time, Hotnews.ro claims. 

The change in legislation follows a recent ruling of the Constitutional Court. Shortly after the PSD won the parliamentary elections, Romanian Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea challenged through the Constitutional Court the bill that prevented Dragnea from taking over the prime minister post. The court postponed ruling on the issue several times. 

In May, it upheld the bill, but in its reasoning it stated that the ban should cease, according to current legislation, in case of rehabilitation, decriminalisation or pardon. The court also said that it is the parliament's duty to correlate the conditions a person should meet in order to be part of the government or the parliament.

Although he has not held the prime minister post, Dragnea has been trying to control the government. Former prime minister Sorin Grindeanu was ousted following a no-confidence vote in parliament once his relationship with Dragnea started to cool. There has been speculation in the local media that the relationship between the two started to worsen when Grindeanu repealed a controversial government emergency ordinance that would have partly decriminalised abuse of office. Dragnea would have been one of the beneficiaries of the governmental decree, had it been adopted.

More recently, there have also been rumours that the relationship between Dragnea and the new Prime Minister Mihai Tudose became tense a few days after the appointment of the new premier. Unnamed PSD sources quoted by Hotnews.ro said that the tensions between Dragnea and Tudose were sparked by the latter’s plans to replace the head of the tax collection agency. 

Another source of tension between Dragnea and Tudose is the newly revised governing programme. According to political sources quoted by Antena 3, a TV station close to the PSD, Tudose has refused to put into practice the new governing programme recently announced by Dragnea, claiming that the new taxes envisaged in the programme would destroy the economy and companies. 

The PSD has already announced that some measures in the programme will not be put into practice. Dragnea announced on July 10 that the minimum wage will be raised to RON1,550 (€339.2) as of next year and not to RON2,000 as envisaged in the programme.

Tudose assured EU officials on July 11 that Romania will not introduce a tax on turnover, as has been previously announced.