Leadership of Romanian Social Democrats changed after troubled talks

The leadership of Romania’s biggest party, the Social Democrats (PSD, now in opposition), was dissolved late on Tuesday and an interim leader is taking over, sources told HotNews.ro as PSD bosses met in a special session. The news was later confirmed officially.

The party leadership met early in the evening to discuss leadership changes in the wake of the defeat suffered by party head Viorica Dancila in presidential elections on Sunday.

Information that she was due to resign circulated as early as Monday. But as talks developed on Tuesday evening, it was not so certain that it would really happen, with claims that she changed her mind.

But late into the night it was announced eventually that Dancila resigned and the leadership as a whole was dismissed. Marcel Ciolacu, the current speaker of the House of Deputies, took over as interim president of the party.

A congress is due to be organised early in 2020.

Viorica Dancila was named head of the Women Organisation of the PSD and Paul Stanescu, an influential member of the party, was appointed secretary general of the party.

Gabriela Firea, another influential member who is also mayor of Bucharest, was voted vice-president at the PSD Bucharest branch.

Dancila said in her first statements that her resignation was an unilateral action. She said she made it for the party and that it was not a moment of weakness, but of dignity, as a reset of the party was wanted and someone had to take responsibility for the result of the presidential elections.