Parliament approves new intelligence chiefs

President Traian Basescu’s nominees for the top jobs in Romania’s main intelligence services received Parliament approval on Wednesday. George Maior, who is due to head the Romanian Intelligence Service-SRI, received 285 votes in favour and 123 against, while Claudiu Saftoiu received 294 votes in favour and 114 against.

George Maior has been a representative of Romania’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats (PSD), and the head of the parliamentary commission supervising SRI and SIE. Saftoiu has been a presidential aide for Traian Basescu since 2004.

The president’s decision to push a representative of the opposition at the helm of SRI was seen as a compromise as both the opposition and the governing Liberal Party have been calling for a nomination unrelated to the presidency.

The two the former heads of SRI and SIE, who this summer decided to resign after the disappearance of a terrorist suspect, businessman Omar Hayssam.