Iohannis rejects cabinet appointments
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has rejected the appointments of two cabinet members proposed by the government. One of them is the candidate for the Ministry for Regional Development, a key portfolio. According to observers the head of the ruling party Liviu Dragnea wanted loyal supporters in these ministerial posts. Was the president right to block the appointments?
All he cares about is his ego
The pro-government daily Jurnalul National criticises Iohannis's decision to oppose the nominations:
“Iohannis's rejection is a result of the fact that he can't call the freshly formed government 'my government' because it isn't close to his own political ideology. Imagine if the members of Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă's cabinet were to simply get on with their work over the next six months, when Romania holds the EU presidency. ... What will that say about the pessimistic predictions [Iohannis publicly expressed doubts that Romania was adequately prepared for the EU presidency] which he has voiced at every opportunity?”
Romania's president no longer just an onlooker
Iohannis is siding with critics of PSD leader Dragnea, writes the news website Digi 24:
“For the first time in two years Iohannis has shed the cloak of passive onlooker and is refusing to give the PSD another 'chance', as he has done repeatedly in the past. He is thus becoming a participant in the events. He's not sabotaging the government but merely making use of his constitutional powers [the president is entitled to reject ministers once during the government-building process] and no longer accepting the PSD's decisions without objection. The fact that he is insisting on [minister for regional development] Paul Stănescu even though the PSD's executive committee has rejected him is indirect support for Liviu Dragnea's opponents.”