Romanian PM Emil Boc dismisses Foreign minister Teodor Baconschi

Romanian prime minister Emil Boc announced before the Parliament on Monday that he dismisses Foreign minister Teodor Baconschi. He made the announcement shortly after apologizing before the joint chambers of the Parliament for communication failures of some members of the Government regarding the protests that have been taking place in Bucharest. By Monday afternoon, an announcement on the Foreign Ministry website said Baconschi was in Brussels for the Foreign Affairs Council.

His statement was commented by Social Democratic Party leader Victor Ponta, who said he agreed with PM’s decision to dismiss minister Baconschi, but that it came too late.

Sources within the governing Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) told HotNews.ro that a party session on Monday top PDL leader Ioan Oltean attacked party officials who made inappropriate statements about protesters, including Teodor Baconschi. Emil Boc then allegedly had a phone talk with President Traian Basescu on the issue of dismissing Teodor Baconschi, according to the sources.

UPDATE PM Emil Boc later said that he dismissed minister Baconschi because dignitaries should not be „encouraged to insult people who are rightfully discontent”. For his part, Teodor Baconschi said for news station Realitatea TV that PM Boc informed him by phone about the decision and said it was a political decision as the prime minister had nothing to complain about when it came to government affairs. One possible replacement for Baconschi, according to some sources, might be Cristian Diaconescu, head of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR).