PSD leaders to discuss EU election results
Leaders of Romania’s governing Social Democratic Party, PSD, are expected to discuss party’s future following poor results at Sunday’s EU elections. The meeting on Tuesday will mainly focus on party strategy for the future after PSD leader Liviu Dragnea was arrested on Monday for corruption. However, the PSD and a junior coalition ally retain a fragile majority in parliament, and on Monday Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă rejected calls from opposition leaders to resign.
Romanian Parliament’s session resumes
Romania’s Parliament is expected to resume its sessions on Tuesday following EU elections and a referendum on Sunday. The parliament’s lower house will open debates concerning the replacement of Liviu Dragnea, leader of the governing PSD, as house speaker following his arrest on Monday under corruption charges. Lia Olguţa Vasilescu, PSD vicepresident and a former minister, said on Monday her party should retain the house presidency while Korodi Attila, leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) in the House of Deputies, pointed out that debates could focus on any option as they should involve all political forces in parliament.
Early EU elections results
Romania’s Central Election Bureau (BEC) issued its new early results on Tuesday concerning the EU elecions last Sunday. The results are as follows: general turnout – 6,790,432 people (49,10%) with 203,680 (3%) votes cancelled. Opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) – 1,731,472 votes (26.33%), governing Social Democratic Party (PSD) – 1,522,547 votes (23.16%), Plus Save Romania Union (USR Plus) – 1,402,856 votes (21.34%). Other parties expected to join the new EU parliament include Pro Romania Party of former PM Victor Ponta, UDMR and People’s Movement Party (PMR) of former Romanian President Traian Băsescu.
Alexandru Danga, RADOR
