An expected goverment reshuffle

Finance minister Sebastian Vladescu has been replaced by Gheorghe Ialomiteanu, while Anca Boagiu has taken over the Transport ministry’s portfolio from Radu Berceanu.

The Ministry of Economy will be led by Ion Ariton who replaces Adriean Videanu. Changes have also been made at the ministries of Agriculture, Labour and Telecommunications, whose portfolios have been taken over by Valeriu Tabara, Ioan Botis and Valerian Vreme.

The sacked ministers are Mihail Dumitru, Mihai Seitan and Gabriel Sandu. According to Prime Minister Boc, economic recovery is the main objective of the cabinet reshuffle.


“The reshuffle proposals I’ve made are directed towards meeting two key goals; first and foremost it’s the continuation of the reform projects already started, and secondly, Romania has to register economic growth in 2011.”



The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, also in the governing coalition, has hailed the Prime Minister’s decision to pump fresh blood into the executive team.

The opposition, however, has described the current reshuffle as merely a media show, pointing towards the internal fights in the Liberal Democratic Party. Social Democratic leader, Victor Ponta, believes the move is hardly a solution to the country’s serious problems.

“Nothing will improve, either for Romania or for the government. Some ministers have been replaced with others, whose single quality is their loyalty to the Liberal Democratic Party and to the president, and it takes more than an internal fight to solve Romania’s problems.”

Journalists are convinced the reasons behind the present reshuffle are political, and is not necessarily a move to boost the government’s activity.

“The Big Showdown’ headlines the daily Adevarul, observing that tensions inside the main ruling party have already caused heavy losses – Adriean Videanu and Radu Berceanu.

The daily Gandul reveals that, fallen from the grace of president Basescu, the two were not initially on the list of sacked ministers, but this fact upset the president, who felt let down by his obedient Prime Minister.

(Radio România Internaţional, Serviciul în limba engleză).