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ROMANIA’S PRESIDENT SPARKED fresh political turmoil Tuesday after blocking a proposal by the leftist party that won elections this month to appoint the EU country’s first female and first Muslim prime minister.
Klaus Iohannis gave no reasons for his rejection of Sevil Shhaideh, put forward by the Social Democrats (PSD), but there was speculation that it was due to her Syrian husband’s background.
“I have properly analysed the arguments for and against and I have decided not to accept this proposal,” the president told reporters, calling on the PSD to “make another proposal”.
Shhaideh, 52, who has only five months ministerial experience, is from Romania’s small and long-established Turkish minority, but her Muslim faith is not thought to have been the problem.
Instead the focus was likely on her husband, 54, who worked in the Syrian agriculture ministry for 20 years before emigrating to Romania in 2011 and marrying Shhaideh the same year, according to the PSD.
Non-profit investigative journalism group the Rise Project said that he has several times expressed his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and for Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
Website HotNews cited unnamed sources as saying that the security services had “strongly cautioned” against Shhaideh’s nomination because of the closeness of her husband and his two brothers to the Assad regime.
This might have made giving Shhaideh the necessary security clearances to be the NATO member’s prime minister problematic.
“I suppose that his rejection is linked to questions of national security and because the United States would not have been very keen,” political analyst Andrei Taranu told AFP.
What now?
The PSD had proposed the previously little-known Shhaideh after its thumping poll victory on December 11 when it won 45 percent of the vote, enough to form a majority coalition with its partners ALDE.
The leader of the PSD, Liviu Dragnea, had withdrawn his own bid to become prime minister because of a conviction that bars him from office.
Shhaideh’s personal closeness to Dragnea — he was a witness at her wedding — has led to accusations that he will remain in charge behind the scenes.
On Tuesday after her rejection, Dragnea said the PSD was considering its options including moving to suspend Iohannis or going to the constitutional court.
“In our opinion the president is determined to set off a political crisis,” Dragnea said. “If our conclusion is that it is in the country’s interest to suspend Mr Iohannis, I won’t hesitate.”
However, Taranu said that any attempt by the PSD to remove the head of state was problematic because Iohannis is entitled to request a second proposal for premier.
The PSD’s election triumph came barely a year since anger over a deadly nightclub fire that killed 64 people forced it from office.
The inferno was blamed on corruption — something Brussels has long complained about since Romania joined the EU in 2007.
But during the campaign Dragnea focused instead on the economy, vowing to boost salaries and pensions in the EU’s second-poorest country.
Did their mothers drop them in?
@Oisín McGovern: Ever tried to ‘drive’ in Dublin? Not pos.
@Oisín McGovern: the great unwashed…..
Give us a break ,eventually they’ll put on a suit and work for daddies company
@James Delaney: Probs become insurance investigators.
@James Delaney: very broad assumption
@James Delaney: Have you read the IPCC report summary? You’re painting them as idealistic hippies but the scientists are on their side scientistrebellion.com
A sit down protest against oil on a pedestrianised street…..well that’s symbolism for ya folks.
@Davey Ohanlon: its the road to the dail.cop on
@Larry Roe: It’s not a road.
@Larry Roe: check your Google maps Tonto….Grafton street runs from Stephen’s Green to Nassau Street…
@Larry Roe:
Didn’t think a sense of humour need a dose of cop on.
@Bri Lyons: The headline is misleading. The article says:
“Students and groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future and Irish Doctors for the Environment gathered in Trinity’s Front Square and marched to the Dáil via Grafton Street, where they staged a sit-down protest.”
i.e. they staged a sit-down outside the Dail, which is on Kildare Street. This ties in with the photograph.
@Kevin Farrell: headline makes perfect sense’en route’ not the same as ‘leads to’
@Kevin Farrell: its actually molesworth street …..
Saying things like “to symbolise the fact that we’re running out of time” is just scaremongering and causing stress in some young people. Ireland will be fine bar some coastal flooding and more rain.
@Celtic Eagle: I’m sure the millions of climate refugees from the countries that won’t be fine will be received warmly in Ireland by the likes of yourself?
@Rochelle: Stop taunting our American-Arabic-Irish Eagle. They have the right to misunderstand symbolism too.
@Celtic Eagle: we won’t be fine. We are going to be seen as a place of safe refugee by hundreds of millions forced to move globally. Not scaremongering at all. Things could get brutal very quickly, we aren’t talking decades either.
@Celtic Eagle: good job ireland us the only country on the planet so
@Celtic Eagle: good job ireland is the only country on the planet so
@Rochelle: unless the militaries and all industries from around completely revamp their ways then we as individuals and as a country are completely wasting our time and money on such green efforts.
@wormtubes: Civil disobedience and protest literally grinds everything to a halt, nothing can function if the ordinary worker refuses to work.
I think people would be startled at how quickly governments would act against those industries and how quickly compromise would be found if the citizens around the world could ever unite on this.
@Rochelle: I wish it could but unfortunately there’s too much corruption, conflict and division for change to happen.
@Celtic Eagle: I’m sure all the other countries that Ireland’s economy depends on for trade will be fine also.
A great bunch of people for sitting down.
@DERRY1973: they might never have walked that much before. A little rest before trotting away behind the whaddawewant with the megaphone.
At least they’re not trying to throw soup on the Book of Kells.
@Wooden Spoon: shhh, don’t give them any ideas!
@Wooden Spoon: I think those doing this were careful to throw soup at artwork protected by a glass and have no intention to damage them. It’s a pity most reports made them look like terrorists while they only want to bring attention to the complete lack of actions from politicians.
@Claude Saulnier: complete lack of action?
You can’t put a chimney on a new house,
You can only buy turf on the black market or buy imported,
The excuse on diesel and petrol is a continuing deterrent despite an unprecedented cost of living crisis,
Electric and Hybrid cars are far cheaper to tax and insure despite the cost of the car being out of reach for many and others struggling to maintain their old diesel,
Any more action from the government that hits the tax payer could be the straw that breaks people so pi$$ off with the tomatoes soup and “just stop oil”.
@Wooden Spoon: yet.
@The Divils Avocado: these are all great points except when used as reasons to continue the genocide that we call climate change
Why don’t they go to China or India and do the protest? We’ve been pumping billions into renewable energy, the majority of the economy relies on services we don’t have any huge industry. We don’t even have our own supply.. or so we’re told. No doubt the government will listen to the protest and lash another few hundred onto the bills.
For all the grief climate protesting has caused, at least these folks are not disrupting peoples lives to raise awareness. Have to commend them for this.
@Paolo Fandango: Yeah, it’s great because we can ignore them and continue driving to the airport to fly away on holidays / driving 1.5km to drop our kids to school in our SUVs / driving to the shops to buy imported plastic tat. #everyoneshouldchangeexceptme
@Type17: cool hashtag bro
@Type17: what would you rather these protestors so then
@Paolo Fandango: typo. What would you rather these protesters do then ?
@Paolo Fandango: I’d rather they disrupt our lives now with protests, and force change, because if they don’t, and disruption comes later, it will be in the form of coastal erosion, destructive weather, unaffordable food, influxes of climate refugees and wars over food and water. You can pay something now, or pay a lot more later…
I’ve nothing against the protest in general but it seems to be the usual wishlist of increased expenditure but nothing on what taxes they want to increase to pay for their largesse. Are Brid Smith and Paul Murphy seeking a large increase in fuel excise taxes or just carbon taxes.
Personally I feel it’s already past the point of no return and we will see more devastation over the coming years as well as the huge numbers migrating to flee areas that can no longer sustain human life. If you think the numbers coming this year are large due to the Ukrainian war then you ain’t seen nothing yet, obviously we’ll need to pay more taxes to support those arriving into our country as well as they’ll have nothing so will need the usual housing, social welfare, language supports, health/education services etc.
Lovely sentiment but unfortunately we are past the point of no return and doomed. 10years left at best and then that’s it.
@Dave Forde: 10 years?
@James Reardon: sorry 5
@Dave Forde: No worries. NATO will have sleepwalked us into ww3 before then. So all good
People are scared of change in all facets. pro, anti, for or against. ‘I have everything so change nothing’ or ‘I have nothing, change everything’… Mad really when you think its pretty much the only certainty in life (apart from death obvs)… anyway, I’ll get my coat.
Flava Flave beeb wearing a clock since the 80s . YEEEEEEH booiiii!
Fair play to them. At least they are taking action. The Big Oil shills on here are moaning as usual, without contributing anything.
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