Romania's Justice Minister Mona Pivniceru will become a Constitutional Court judge, after the Romanian Parliament approved her candidacy for the position. Pivniceru will replace Ion Predescu, whose mandate with the Court will end in June this year. The PM Victor Ponta has just confirmed that he will replace Mona Pivniceru and serve temporarily as interim Justice Minister.

Pivniceru is the second new judge recently named for the Constitutional Court, after former anti-corruption chief Daniel Morar. A third Constitutional Court judge seat must be filled this year, as another nine-year mandate is set to end in 2013. The third nomination is Valer Dorneanu.

The Romanian PM said earlier that he would either send a nomination for the Justice Minister seat to the Romanian president tomorrow, or nominate himself as interim at the helm of the ministry. PM Ponta then confirmed that he will serve as interim Justice Minister for a maximum of 45 days via a government press release. It is not the first time Ponta has been interim Minister of Justice, he filled the seat temporarily at the beginning of August last year, until Pivniceru took over.

By law, three months before the end of the mandate of a Constitutional Court judge, the Court will ask either the Parliament or the Presidency- depending on who made the original nomination of the judge - and ask for another nomination. A new judge needs to be appointed at least one month prior to the end of mandate of the existing one.

Mona Pivniceru became a Justice Minister last August, in the Ponta I cabinet, and was re-appointed on the same position last December, when the Ponta II cabinet started office. Pivniceru, a former member of the Supreme Magistrates Court (CSM) and a judge of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, had to resign her positions to become the country's Justice Minister.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: gov.ro)