The new Government will most likely have 22 ministers, including the delegate ministers, and most of them will have a correspondent in the European Commission, said Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta. The announcement came after Ponta's alliance the Social Liberal Union (USL) won the general elections held on Sunday (December 9 ). Romania's current Government has 21 members.

The Government structure will however have to discussed and negotiated within the USL. It will include members of all parties in the Union – the Social democrat Party PSD, the National Liberal Party PNL and the Conservative Party PC. If the USL strikes a deal with the Magyar Union UDMR, as previous Governments have done, the UDMR will also get some seats in the new Government.

Negotiations have already started within the coalition, with names having surfaced in the media as rumored for certain seats. Relu Fenechiu and Varujan Vosganian, both from PNL, are the first names mentioned by the media for potential seats in the new Government. Vosganian previously served as Economy and Finance Minister between 2007 and 2008.

Ponta, who will be proposed as PM for the new cabinet, said he will be ready to present the governing plan and structure of the new Government around December 21 and will ask for a parliamentary vote of approval.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Gov.ro)