President Klaus Iohannis has rejected the defense ministry’s proposals for a new commander of the Romanian Army and instead extended the mandate of general Nicolae Ciucă.

Defense minister Gabriel Les announced last week that he would not prolong the mandate of general Nicolae Ciucă as commander of the Romanian Army.

Ciucă's mandate was extended by one year.

The Defense Ministry proposed lieutenant general Dumitru Scarlat, Romania’s representative to NATO and EU, for the job. Iohannis rejected the proposal, along with two others, Hotnews.ro reported. Another name reportedly proposed was that of major general Ovidiu-Liviu Uifăleanu, the chief of the Romanian Land Forces Staff.

“There is no valid proposal for the person who will take over the post of chief of the Romanian Army. There is no proposal for the chief of the Army,” the president said.

“The mandate of general Ciucă ends on December 31. Romania cannot be left without a commander of the Army. This situation generated by the incompetence of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) needs to be solved,” Iohannis said. The solution was expanding Ciucă’s mandate, the president explained.

Iohannis described Ciucă as a “recognized, competent soldier, with results of the most admirable.”

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(Photo: mapn.ro)

editor@romania-insider.com