Social Democrat Party

Romania's government crisis shows no sign of ending, with the ruling Social Democrat Party leader Liviu Dragnea and Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and their respective supporters struggling for control.

Romania's ruling Social Democrat Party leadership on Thursday decided to submit an impeachment motion in parliament against its own government and voted to exclude Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu from its ranks.

Romania faced a mounting political crisis on Thursday after the ruling Social Democrat Party, PSD, moved to sack its own six-month-old government - only for Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu to refuse to give way.

The Prime Minister instead accused his party leader, Liviu Dragnea, of trying to keep a tight grip over the party and the government.

Zoran Zaev - Photo: AP

FYROM's (Macedonia) parliament has elected a new center-left coalition government led by former opposition leader Zoran Zaev, ending a six-month political stalemate.

Lawmakers voted 62-44 just before midnight Wednesday to confirm a 26-member Cabinet proposed by Zaev, who leads the Social Democrat party. Five lawmakers abstained and nine were absent.

The Bucharest Appeal Court was set to issue a sentence on Friday in Romania's longest-ever corruption trial that has lasted nine years and counted over 100 hearings. But the court postponed the decision until May 31.

Legal experts suspect that the charges raised against nine alleged participants in the April 27 violence in parliament are too mild and may be part of a plan to prevent them from ever standing trial for much more serious offences.

The prosecution charged the nine suspects with "participation in a violent crowd that prevented police officials from performing [their] duty".

Romania's Senate is to discuss a bill that proposes jail terms of six months to three years for people challenging Romania's "constitutional order", prompting civic activists to claim that the ruling Social Democrat Party, PSD, may attempt to limit free speech.

Zoran Zaev, leader of the opposition Social Democrat party, SDSM, accused the country's president on Wednesday evening of a coup d'état after refusing to award Zaev the mandate to form a government.
 

Sorin Grindeanu, Romania's Prime Minister, announced on Saturday that the cabinet would hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to annul a decree decriminalizing some graft offences.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday designated Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the country's new Prime Minister.

The move ended days of uncertainty following the Social Democrat Party's convincing victory in the December 11 legislative elections.