The elderly care home scandal in Romania has prompted two political resignations, which Romanian President Klaus Iohannis deems enough for now, but not everyone is convinced, according to Euractiv.
However, the social democrats are pushing for some resignation from the liberals.
Last week, Marius Budăi, the minister of labour and social protection, and Gabriela Firea, the minister of family, stepped down following the revelations of deplorable conditions in three care centres near Bucharest.
The National Political Council of the PSD voted on Monday to nominate Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura Oprescu to lead the Ministries of Family and Labor.
When asked about the need for further resignations, Iohannis said in Brussels that the political resignations were “enough”.
“For the moment, it is important to find all the people who were actually guilty of the atrocities that were discovered”, he said, adding that the new ministers are expected to take the oath Wednesday.
Firea was temporarily suspended from her positions as chairwoman of PSD Bucharest and the first deputy chairperson of the party.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu defended Firea, stating that she had done nothing wrong.
“From my point of view, Mrs Firea did absolutely nothing institutionally wrong. Mrs Firea had no attribution regarding the centres for disabled people”, he said.
Regarding her candidacy for the position of general mayor of Bucharest, Ciolacu avoided a clear answer, while the spokesperson Lucian Romaşcanu suggested that Firea might still be the left’s candidate for the local elections in Bucharest. “Things are dynamic”, and there is more than a year until the local elections, and “in politics, even a week is a lot”, Romaşcanu said.
Romaşcanu also called for the honourable resignation of Culture Minister Raluca Turcan because she led the Labour Ministry in the past.
“There will be enough dismissals everywhere where there were violations,” Ciolacu said when asked if Raluca Turcan or other National Liberal Party members should resign.