Romania approves first female prime minister amid protests
Viorica Dancila is the country’s third premier in the space of a year.
Romania’s parliament has confirmed Viorica Dancila as its first female prime minister and the country’s third head of government in a year.
Ms Dancila won by 282 votes to 136, far more than the 233 votes she needed to lead Romania’s current left-wing government, which the European Union has criticised over legislation that critics say will make it hard to prosecute high-level corruption.
The 54-year-old has voiced her support for the proposals, which have prompted public protests.
The legislation would ban the use of audio and video recordings in prosecutions. Other aspects include holding judges personally responsible for erroneous rulings, and making it possible to seek financial damages from them.
Ms Dancila, who will head a cabinet of 27 ministers, will likely act in the role of an administrator, with government policy decided by powerful Social Democrat chairman Liviu Dragnea, who cannot be prime minister because of a conviction for vote-rigging.
A court froze Mr Dragnea’s assets in November over a charge of embezzling EU funds. He denies any wrongdoing.
Ms Dancila is a member of the European Parliament and was a relative unknown in domestic politics until this month. Speaking ahead of the parliament vote, she promised to raise wages, reduce bureaucracy and build hundreds of miles of new motorways and railway lines by 2020.
The new PM told MPs: “The goal of my mandate is for Romania in 2020 to be in the top half of the EU’s strongest economies so that young people no longer leave from Romania, and those that have left want to return.”
Mihai Tudose resigned as prime minister earlier this month after the party withdrew its support for him. He replaced Sorin Grindeanu, who was forced out of office in a vote of no confidence brought by his own party in June.
