BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — The woman expected to become Romania’s first female prime minister and the country’s third head of government in a year promised Monday to raise wages and reduce bureaucracy ahead of a confirmation vote in parliament. Liviu Dragnea, the leader of Romania's ruling Social Democratic party sits during a speech by Romanian Prime Minister designate Viorica Dancila during a joint parliament session that will vote on her and her cabinet's nomination in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 29, 2018.Dancila is expected to win parliamentary approval to become Romania's first female prime minister, and the third premier in a year as the left-wing government faces protests and criticism from the European Union over legislation it is passing that critics say will make it hard to prosecute high-level corruption. Dancila, a supporter of the proposals that include banning the use of audio and video recordings in prosecutions, is a member of the European Parliament and was a relative unknown in domestic politics until this month. Another proposal is to hold judges personally responsible for erroneous rulings and seek to recover financial damages from them, and to limit the president from nominating or rejecting key prosecutors. 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. He is also under investigation for fraud and prosecutors froze some €27 million of his assets in November. He denies wrongdoing, and like other key politicians in the ruling alliance, calls the anti-corruption agency and supporters of the drive, which include President Klaus Iohannis, "the parallel state." She was booed by a small group of protesters as she arrived at parliament on Monday, but party members handed her a bouquet of red roses and greeted her with applause as she walked through the palace built by late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, which now houses Parliament. She urged Romania to show “total openness” in international cooperation and in the diplomatic relations with other states.The ruling majority was also supported in the voting by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, whose leader Kelemen Hunor said earlier the union’s lawmakers had decided to give their vote to the Dancila’s cabinet, in order to “give the coalition another chance.”

The against votes came from the main opposition the National Liberal Party, as well as the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement.
Viorica Dăncilă (PSD) is confirmed as Romania's first female Prime Minister. She is Romania’s third premier in less than 13 months.