BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania’s Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigned on Monday after his Social Democrat Party (PSD) withdrew backing for him in an overwhelming vote, becoming the second premier to be ousted in seven months.

Tensions between Tudose, appointed in June, and the party’s powerful leader Liviu Dragnea erupted last week when the prime minister asked his interior minister, a close Dragnea ally, to quit, accusing her publicly of lying to him. She refused.

Monday’s vote by the 67-member PSD executive committee is seen consolidating the grip on power exerted by Dragnea, who pushed out Tudose’s predecessor Sorin Grindeanu in a no-confidence motion last summer.

Dragnea, whose party swept to an emphatic national election win in December 2016, is barred from becoming prime minister by a conviction in a vote-rigging case.

Tudose told reporters after the party vote: “They named me, they removed me. I take responsibility for my deeds and I do not regret anything in my actions (as premier).”

He said he would confirm his resignation in writing to President Klaus Iohannis on Monday night.

Dragnea said 60 members of the committee had voted to sack Tudose and four to retain him, with the rest abstaining.

Independent political commentator Cristian Patrasconiu said that, while the day’s events had strengthened Dragnea’s position, “it seems that it will be harder and harder to find a suitable and durable replacement (as premier).”

Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu will be nominated to serve in Tudose’s place for an interim period of up to 45 days, officials said. Iohannis can endorse Stanescu or propose an alternative.

The PSD, which has a comfortable parliamentary majority, will have to nominate a permanent replacement during that period and its nominee needs backing from Iohannis and will face a vote of confidence in parliament.

Dragnea said the committee would meet on Tuesday to discuss proposals for a replacement.

“We want to avoid facing the same situation (replacement of a prime minister) for the third time,” he told reporters.</s>Romania’s prime minister has resigned after his party withdrew its support amid a power struggle with the group’s chairman.

The ruling left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for Mihai Tudose after a meeting lasting more than five hours.

Mr Tudose, 50, said he was quitting “with my head high” just over six months after he took office.

Party chairman Liviu Dragnea cannot be prime minister due to a conviction for vote-rigging.

Separately, prosecutors froze Mr Dragnea’s assets in November amid a probe into the misuse of European Union funds. He denies wrongdoing.

The conflict became public last week after Mr Tudose called on interior minister Carmen Dan to resign, accusing her of lying, and she refused.

Social Democratic Party officials said development minister Paul Stanescu would serve as interim prime minister.

Mr Tudose is the second prime minister ousted by the Social Democrats since they won Romania’s December 2016 general election.

Mr Dragnea said 60 Social Democratic lawmakers voted to withdraw their support for the prime minister, four supported him and four abstained.

Mr Tudose’s resignation comes as Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit Romania on Tuesday.

Mr Abe is on a six-country European tour that has taken him to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

The Social Democrats plan to meet to decide on a new candidate for prime minister, who would need to be formally proposed by President Klaus Iohannis and then voted on by parliament.

The Social Democrats ousted their previous prime minister, Sorin Grindeanu, in June with a vote of no-confidence.</s>Romania's Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigned on Monday after his Social Democrat Party (PSD) leaders withdrew backing for him in an overwhelming vote, making him the second premier ousted by the party in less than seven months.

Tensions between Tudose, who was named last June, and the party's powerful president Liviu Dragnea erupted last week when the prime minister asked his interior minister, a close Dragnea ally, to resign, accusing her publicly of lying to him. She refused.

Dragnea retains a tight grip over both the ruling party and government. He is barred from becoming prime minister despite the party's sweeping election win in December 2016 because of a conviction in a vote-rigging case.

Tudose told reporters after the party vote: "I did not want to break the party. They named me, they removed me. I take responsibility for my deeds and I do not regret anything in my actions (as premier)."

He said he would officially submit resignation papers to the country's President Klaus Iohannis tonight or early tomorrow.

"The vote was overwhelming, to dismiss Prime Minister Tudose," one member of the PSD's leadership told Reuters by telephone. "Tudose resigned," another PSD leader said.

Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu will be appointed in his place for an interim period of 45 days, officials said.

The ruling PSD, which has a comfortable parliamentary majority, will have to nominate a replacement for Tudose during the interim period and its nominee needs backing from Iohannis. The new PSD premier and his team will face a vote of confidence in parliament.

PSD head Dragnea pushed out Tudose's predecessor Sorin Grindeanu as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in June 2017.</s>Romania was thrown into fresh political crisis Monday as the second prime minister in a year said he would resign “tonight or tomorrow morning” after losing his Social Democrat party’s support.

Mihai Tudose’s resignation comes amid growing tensions with PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who cannot be prime minister because of a suspended jail sentence he received for rigging a referendum.

Tudose took over in June 2017, after his predecessor Sorin Grindeanu was ousted by the PSD and its junior coalition partner ALDE, who argued that Grindeanu had fallen behind schedule implementing a reform program.

“The party decided that there is a need for a new government, with a new approach,” Tudose told reporters after leaving a party leadership meeting on Monday evening in Bucharest. The deputy prime minister, Paul Stănescu, will become interim prime minister on Tuesday, he said.

PSD will hold a leadership meeting on Tuesday morning to come up with a new nomination for leader, Dragnea said, adding that he wouldn’t make the choice himself.

Asked about the reasons behind Tudose losing support, Dragnea said “there was a conflict between the party and the government, and inside the government as well.”

In recent weeks the prime minister had clashed with the interior minister, Carmen Dan, a close ally of Dragnea. Dan wanted Tudose to sack the head of the Romanian police over the case of a policeman accused of pedophilia. Tudose refused to do so and suggested that Dan resign.

PSD and ALDE will now have to nominate a new prime minister, with the choice needing the approval of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. It will be third time he will have had to approve a prime minister since December 2016 elections.

PSD won some 46 percent in those elections on promises of tax cuts and increased wages and pensions. A year on, many of those promises have not been realized, and a decision to shift the burden of social security contributions onto employees caused mass protests last year.

Last year the country was rocked by the biggest protests since the fall of communism when people took to the streets to protest against an emergency decree that would have decriminalized some acts of corruption. The government eventually withdrew the decree, but the parliament last year passed other changes to judiciary laws that opponents feel may impact the justice system’s work on corruption.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's prime minister resigned Monday after his party withdrew its support for him amid a power struggle with the party chairman.

The ruling left-wing Social Democratic Party revoked its backing of Prime Minister Mihai Tudose after a meeting lasting more than five hours.

Tudose, 50, said he was quitting after a little more than six months in office "with my head high" and would clear out his office immediately.

Social Democratic Party officials said Development Minister Paul Stanescu would serve as interim prime minister.

Tudose is the second prime minister ousted by the Social Democrats since they won Romania's December 2016 general election.

Party chairman Liviu Dragnea said 60 Social Democratic lawmakers voted to withdraw their support for the prime minister, four supported Tudose and four abstained from the vote.

Dragnea is ineligible to serve as prime minister due to a conviction for vote-rigging. Separately, prosecutors froze Dragnea's assets in November as part of a probe of alleged misuse of European Union funds. He denies wrongdoing.

The conflict between Dragnea and the prime minister surfaced publicly last week when Tudose accused Interior Minister Carmen Dan of lying and called on her to resign. Dan, a close ally of Dragnea's, refused.

Tudose's resignation comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit Romania on Tuesday. Abe is on a six-country European tour that already has taken him to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

The Social Democrats plan to meet Tuesday to decide on a new candidate for prime minister, who would need to be formally proposed by President Klaus Iohannis and then voted on by Parliament.

The Social Democrats ousted their previous prime minister, Sorin Grindeanu, in June with a vote of no-confidence.</s>Romania’s prime minister Mihai Tudose announced his resignation on Monday evening, during the Social Democratic Party’s executive committee meeting, according to political sources quoted by local news agency Mediafax. Most of PSD’s executive committee members voted in favor of withdrawing political support for the PM, according to the same sources.

When getting out of the executive committee meeting, Mihai Tudose told the journalists that he would go to the Government headquarters to take his stuff and that he would not sit in as interim PM until a new cabinet is invested by the Parliament.

The PM’s resignation means that his cabinet will be dismissed. President Klaus Iohannis will have to nominate a new PM who has to come up with a new team and get the Parliament’s vote.

Tudose is the second PSD prime minister forced to leave office after only six months, after a clash with party leader Liviu Dragnea. In June 2017, PSD overthrew its own Government by no-confidence motion only to get rid of former PM Sorin Grindeanu, who refused to take orders from Dragnea any more.

The open conflict between Mihai Tudose and Liviu Dragnea started in October 2017, when the PM asked for the removal of three ministers from his cabinet, including deputy prime minister and development minister Sevil Shhaideh, one of Dragnea’s most trusted collaborators. Tudose won that round and got the cabinet reshuffle he asked for.

The tensions within the governing party started to rise again at the end of last year and in the first weeks of this year, when Tudose asked for a restructuring of his cabinet aimed at reducing the number of ministries. The political commentators saw this as a first step in Tudose’s plan to reduce Dragnea’s influence in the Government. The party’s executive committee postponed a decision for the end of January, but Tudose seemed to be gaining support among other PSD leaders.

However, the tensions continued to rise, especially after the case of a pedophile cop started a huge scandal between the Interior Ministry and its main subordinated institution, the Romanian Police. Interior minister Carmen Dan, one of Dragnea’s protegees, asked for the Romanian Police head’s resignation but Mihai Tudose refused to dismiss the Police head. He accused the interior minister of lying when she said she had a replacement for the position and said he couldn’t work with her anymore. He also suggested that she should resign, if she were allowed, a remark aimed at his party leader.

The tensions within the cabinet determined several PSD local leaders to call for an executive committee meeting to clear things between the PM and the party leader. While the leaders of some important PSD organizations declared their support for Tudose and said he should continue as PM others said he should take a step back, unhappy with the fact that he didn’t consult with the party leadership on some important decisions.

In the meeting, Tudose said he would resign if the executive committee members voted for this. In the end, only four members of the executive committee voted against the proposal that the party should withdraw political support for him. Four other members abstained while 59 voted for the proposal.

The PSD leadership will meet on Tuesday morning to come up with a new PM proposal. President Klaus Iohannis will then have to decide if he accepts PSD’s proposal or he calls other political parties for consultations. The new PM will have to come up with a new team and get the Parliament’s vote. While many of the current ministers may continue in the new cabinet, some have already announced they would resign, according to Hotnews.ro. The ministers that will leave include transport minister Felix Stroe, deputy PM Marcel Ciolacu, EU funds minister Marius Nica, who have openly supported Tudose.

Meanwhile, deputy prime minister and development minister Paul Stanescu is likely to run the government until a new PM is appointed.</s>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Bucharest on Tuesday for key talks on North Korea and investment, but landed in a Romanian political crisis prompted by the prime minister's unexpected resignation.

Just as Abe was arriving in Romania at the end of his six-nation European tour, President Klaus Iohannis named Defense Minister Mihai Fifor as the country's interim prime minister.

"(Romania's) political uncertainty should not degenerate into political instability" that court hurt its economy, Iohannis said.

Mihai Tudose, who took office in June 2017, quit as premier late Monday after the left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for him amid a party power struggle between him and the party's powerful chairman, Liviu Dragnea.

The resignation plunged Romania's currency, the leu, close to record-low levels and a two-week low against the euro.

The crisis meant Abe's lunch and talks with the prime minister were canceled, but Abe later met Romania's president, where they talked about the danger posed by North Korea's nuclear arms.

Abe said both countries could "not accept the nuclear armament of North Korea and we believe it is necessary to intensify to a maximum level the pressure on this country." He also called for closer cooperation between Japan and Europe "in the name of the common values" they share.

Abe also spoke about a subway line planned from Bucharest's Henri Coanda Airport to the capital of Bucharest, which Japan will provide one-third of the financing. The line is expected to be running by 2022.

He also said to encourage Romanian visitors, Tokyo had waived visa requirements for Romanians visiting Japan.

Despite the importance of Abe's visit — the first by a Japanese prime minister to Romania — the political crisis dominated the news agenda.

The Social Democrats later named Viorica Dancila, a Romanian member of the European Parliament and an ally of Dragnea's, as their choice for prime minister. Dragnea said her connections with EU officials would benefit the government.

Iohannis plans to consult with political parties Wednesday before proposing a candidate, who would need to be approved by Romania's lawmakers to take office.

Dragnea himself can't be prime minister due to a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's president on Tuesday appointed the defense minister as interim prime minister after Premier Mihai Tudose unexpectedly resigned.

President Klaus Iohannis named Mihai Fifor to temporarily take the post of prime minister, saying the current "political uncertainty should not degenerate into political instability" and cause negative economic effects.

Tudose, who took office in June 2017, quit late Monday after the left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for him amid a power struggle with powerful party chairman Liviu Dragnea. Dragnea himself can't be prime minister due to a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

FILE - In this Thursday, June 29, 2017, file photo Romanian Premier Mihai Tudose removes his glasses before a parliament vote on the new Romanian government in Bucharest, Romania. Romania's prime minister has resigned, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, after his party withdrew its support amid a power struggle with party chairman after Romania's ruling left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for Mihai Tudose after a meeting lasting more than five hours.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

The resignation plunged Romania's currency, the leu, close to record-low levels and a two-week low against the euro Tuesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is visiting Romania at the end a six-country European tour, arrived Tuesday, but lunch and talks with the Romanian prime minister were canceled due to the political crisis.

Abe will meet Iohannis later Tuesday for talks.

The Social Democrats later named Viorica Dancila, a European MEP since 2009 and ally of Dragnea, as their choice for prime minister. Dragnea said her connections with EU officials would benefit the government.

Iohannis will consult with political parties Wednesday before formally proposing a candidate for prime minister who needs to get parliamentary approval.

The Social Democrats won elections in Dec. 2016 and ousted the previous Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu in a no-confidence vote after he fell out with Dragnea.</s>Romania's president on Tuesday appointed the defense minister as interim prime minister after Premier Mihai Tudose unexpectedly resigned.

 

 President Klaus Iohannis named Mihai Fifor to temporarily take the post of prime minister, saying the current "political uncertainty should not degenerate into political instability" and cause negative economic effects.

 

 Tudose, who took office in June 2017, quit late Monday after the left-wing Social Democratic Party withdrew its support for him amid a power struggle with powerful party chairman Liviu Dragnea. Dragnea himself can't be prime minister due to a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

 

 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was scheduled to arrive later, but due to the political crisis, lunch and talks with the Romanian prime minister were canceled.

 

 Abe, who is visiting Romania at the end a six-country European tour, will meet Iohannis later Tuesday for talks.

 

 The Social Democrats later named Viorica Dancila, a European MEP and ally of Dragnea, as their choice for prime minister. Iohannis will consult with political parties Wednesday before formally proposing a candidate for prime minister who needs to get parliamentary approval.

 

 The Social Democrats won elections in Dec. 2016 and ousted the previous Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu in a no-confidence vote after he fell out with Dragnea.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania — For the second time in less than seven months, Romania is without a prime minister, after the governing Social Democrat Party pulled its support for the incumbent, forcing his resignation.

The prime minister, Mihai Tudose, announced on Monday evening that he would step down after party leaders failed to resolve a dispute between him and the party’s powerful leader, Liviu Dragnea, who is unable to serve as prime minister himself because of a 2016 conviction for electoral fraud.

Tensions had flared in recent weeks after Mr. Tudose tried to remove a close ally of Mr. Dragnea’s from her role as interior minister, after accusing her of lying to him.

The Social Democrats won a strong mandate in Romania’s last parliamentary elections, held in December 2016. But since then the country has been rocked by the largest protests in a quarter of a century, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets last February to oppose government measures that would have relaxed penalties for official corruption. The government backed down, but it has continued to push for similar measures, drawing protesters back into the streets, albeit in smaller numbers.

On Dec. 20, the Romanian Senate passed legislation that critics said would weaken the independence of the country’s judiciary. The legislation is awaiting the signature of Klaus Iohannis, the country’s president, who is seen as an ally of the protest movement. But he is likely to refuse to sign it and return it to Parliament for further debate.

Mr. Tudose did not put up much resistance after party leaders voted overwhelming to withdraw their support. “I leave with my head held high,” he told reporters. “The party decided that a different government is needed, with a different type of approach.”
Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigns after losing the support of the Social Democratic Party.