Romania's new government members announced

The leader of Romania’s largest political party, the Social Democrats (PSD), announced on Tuesday the list of nominations for the new government due to be sworn in following President Iohannis’ acceptance of PSD official Sorin Grindeanu as prime minister late last year. THe list includes a previous nominee for the head of government and other controversial members of the PSD and its Liberal ally, ALDE.

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, whose party won the general elections in December, could not get a nomination for PM because of an electoral fraud sentence he received earlier last year. He nominated a very close acquaintance, Sevil Shhaideh, but she – a Muslim woman married to a Syrian businessman connected to the Assad regime – was rejected by President Iohannis. In his attempt to keep the reigns of party politics, Dragnea then nominated Sorin Grindeanu, a regional politician, to be his hand at the helm of government. Grindeanu was approved in office.

The list of the future ministers, who have to pass parliamentary hearings before taking office, include:

• Sevil Shhaideh herself – deputy PM, minister of the major portfolio of Development and Administration
• Teodor Melescanu (member of ALDE party, with a history of controversies including a run for president in 2014) – Foreign minister
• Florin Iordache (PSD, one of the brains behind a major push in defense of politicians and businessmen eyed by anti-graft politicians) – Justice minister
• PSD veteran Viorel Stefan – Finance minister
• several people very close to Liviu Dragnea, including a local official from Dragnea’s county, Carmen Daniela Dan (Interior minister); and Ana Birchall (minister delegate for European Affairs).

In total, Grindeanu’s government is one of the largest in Romania’s post-1989 past, with 27 ministers.