The Democrat Liberal Vasile Blaga is the new president of Romania's Senate after Mircea Geoana has been expelled from his party the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and lost political support for the Senate president seat. Geoana had been the president of the Upper House in the Romanian Parliament since December 2008.

PSD had proposed Titus Corlatean to be the new head of the Senate, but he lost the seat to Blaga.

Vasile Blaga was the Interior Minister between 2004 and 2007 and Minister of Regional Development between 2008 and 2009, as well as Interior Minister from 2009 to 2010.

Political commentators have said the real stake of expelling Mircea Geoana from the party was the leadership of the Senate. PSD had asked Geoana to step down and name a replacement from within the party, but he refused to do so. All these happened in the wake of a plan to suspend president Traian Basescu, which, if to succeed, would give the temporary helm of the country to the Senate president, whomever that may be. Apart from all these, Geoana’s insubordination to the party’s leadership could have undermined its chances at the next elections.

PSD, the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Conservative party (PC) are the founders of the Social Liberal Union (USL), the opposition union that aims at working under this formula until 2020, covering two elections periods.

Mircea Geoana became a PSD member in 2001, and was named the party’s president in 2005. In December 2008 he became President of the Senate. In 2009 he run for Presidency but lost to the current President Traian Basescu.

editor@romania-insider.com