National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Crin Antonescu was elected President of the Romanian Senate on Wednesday with a 136 in favor to 9 against vote score. Antonescu was the only candidate running for this office and he was supported by all three main political forces at the moment: the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the PNL and the Conservative Party (PC).  The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) refrained from submitting its own proposal for a candidate.

The plenary meeting of the Senate validated the structure of its new Standing Bureau, which saw three vice-president positions go to PSD’s Nicolae Moga, Cristian Dumitrescu and Florin Constantinescu and one to PC’s Vasile Nistor.

The list of Senate State Secretaries is equally distributed among the main political forces with Ioan Rotaru for the PSD, Mario-Ovidiu Oprea for the PNL, Alexandru Peres for the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and Haralambie Voichitoiu for the Dan Diaconescu People’s Party (PPDD).

PSD’s Ioan Chelaru, PNL’s Dumitru Pelican and UDMR’s Verestoy Attila will act as Senate Quaestors.

Two other votes are to take place for the Chamber of Deputies’ Presidency and Standing Bureau.

Antonescu’s victory does not come as a surprise as the Romanian press quoted sources inside the Social Liberal Union (USL) pointing to his nomination for this office and to Valeriu Zgonea’s running for Chamber of Deputies’ Presidency as early as December 12. Both candidates were already acting Presidents of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament at that time.

Antonescu was previously the head of Senate, which allowed him to replace president Traian Basescu while he was suspended from office. The Senate president is one of the most important positions in the state, after the president.

Ioana Jelea, ioana.jelea@romania-insider.com

(photo source: presidency.ro)