Social Democrat senator Serban Nicolae has been replaced from the offices he held in the Senate. The PSD members attending the National Executive Committee meeting have decided to replace Serban from the chairmanship of the legal committee in the upper chamber and from the helm of the PSD Group.

Former Justice minister in the Ponta Government, Robert Cazanciuc will take over the chairmanship of the legal committee, while Mihai Fifor will take over the leadership of the PSD Group in the Senate, party sources told local media on Wednesday.

Mihai Fifor is the president of the PSD National Council, and was rumored for the prime minister position after the December 2016 general elections.

The party’s meeting has been summoned at chairman Liviu Dragnea’s request to decide sanctions against senator Serban Nicolae over the pardon bill case and against deputy Nicolae Bacalbasa for injuries he has launched from the Parliament’s tribune on Tuesday.

Liviu Dragnea told journalists before the CExN meeting that he maintains statements that Serban Nicolae must be sanctioned.

As for Şerban Nicolae, he attended the meeting, but avoided to give statements to the press.

Liviu Dragnea has publicly said last week that he is discontent with the way Serban Nicolae managed the sittings of the legal committee during debates on the pardon bill, as Nicolae proposed and the other Social Democrat members of the committee had voted pardon for corruption deeds, although the PSD chairman and PM Grindeanu declared themselves against the proposal.

As for deputy Nicolae Bacalbasa, sources from the PSD said that he had been suspended from the party for six months.

Bacalbasa launched several invectives from the Parliament’s tribune on Tuesday, while making dirty signs against the Liberal interim chairwoman Raluca Turcan during debates on amending the Statute of senators and deputies on the parliamentary inquiry committees.

The Romania Journal

10 May 2017

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