BUCHAREST, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Social Democratic Party announced late Thursday to make a major reorganization of the current government, after three cabinet members including a deputy prime minister had maintained their decision to resign.
The decision showed that the prime minister's request for reshuffle has been met, despite the great resistance within the main ruling party.
The three cabinet members who resigned, namely deputy prime minister and regional development minister Sevil Shhaideh, EU funds minister Rovana Plumb, and the minister for the relation with the Parliament Viorel Ilie, are targeted by investigations of the National Anticorruption Directorate, but all of them denied the accusations.
The discord between Prime Minister Mihai Tudose and his party leader Liviu Dragnea became apparent after the former announced Monday evening at a private television station that he will replace the three ministers as their corruption allegations had created problems for the country and the governing coalition.
Shhaideh, a close ally of the party leader, was the first premier candidate nominated by the governing coalition after the Social Democrats won the election last December.
The head of government also said that his relationship with the party leader is not "in a happy moment," mentioning his dissatisfaction over the party's involvement in certain cabinet decisions.
He also said that he considered resigning if the party leadership would refuse the reshuffle.
The Social Democrats convened on Thursday evening in the National Executive Committee meeting that lasted more than five hours, as most of the participants disagreed with the reshuffle and asked the three ministers to remain.
The top committee of the party is to gather Friday afternoon to decide the new candidates to fill the vacant positions.
Mihai Tudose, 50, took over as prime minister on June 29, after the ruling coalition made of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance or Liberals and Democrats toppled its own cabinet on June 21 amid a tense relationship between the Social Democratic leadership and Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu who refused to resign even after his party withdrew political support for him and expelled him from the party.
