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Government reshuffle or restructuring: Premier Mihai Tudose wants fewer ministries, Liviu Dragnea is against
Premier Mihai Tudose wants an Executive with fewer ministries, but his party (social-democrat PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea is against it. On Wednesday, the latter wrote on Facebook that the intends to replace Doina Pana with another social-democrat, hinting, according to analysts, that he is not eager to conduct a Government restructuring.
Niculae Badalau, the executive president of PSD, said the government needed a restructuring, with 16-17 ministries.
“This is what government restructuring means (uniting ministries-e.n.). I heard the story that restructuring means making it bigger. The Ministry of Waters could unite with the Environment, as it used to be some time ago,”Badalau told Mediafax.
Badalau added that the soon expected PSD National Executive Committee will decide if a Government reshuffle or restructuring is needed and if a congress would be beneficial.
PSD leaders summoned the meeting on Monday, 2.00 p.m., to make a decision following Doina Pana’s resignation from the position of minister of waters and forests.
“The meeting of PSD Executive Committee was summoned for Monday, January 8, at the party general headquarters,” social democratic sources told Mediafax.
The ministries which could unite also include Energy with Economy, Tourism with Youth and Sports, Romanians from everywhere with the Foreign Ministry, Education with Research.
At present, the government has a premier and three deputy premiers, among whom Marcel Ciolacu without portfolio, 24 ministers and two delegate ministers- Marius Nica and Victor Negrescu, at European Funds and European Affairs.
The same source informs that the PSD leaders consider that an extraordinary congress would sort out the increasing conflict between Liviu Dragnea and PM Mihai Tudose.
On December 29, PM Tudose signed an emergency ordinance enabling Deputy PM Marcel Ciolacu to appoint state secretaries and advisers. PSD sources have told ‘Adevarul’ newspaper this is a message sent by Mihai Tudose to the party, that Ciolacu is on his side in the confrontation against Liviu Dragnea. The source claims Ciolacu was sent by Dragnea to the Government in order to supervise Tudose.
As far as PM Mihai Tudose is concerned, social-democrat sources say he wants fewer ministries, but PSD leader Dragnea is against.
Sources quoted by hotnews.ro say that Prime Minister Mihai Tudose wants Government restructuring, not just reshuffling, because a change in the Government structure involves a vote of confidence in Parliament, which would render more complicated for Liviu Dragnea to take him out of office, as in Sorin Grindeanu’s case. Moreover, the ministers aimed by the restructuring would be Dragnea’s people, the same sources say.