Romanian president rejects PM designate

Romania’s social democrat party and liberals have accused president Klaus Iohannis of causing a political crisis after he vetoed their candidate for prime minister of the country.

The two parties could use their majority in Romania’s parliament to try and suspend Iohannis, whom they accuse of breaching Romania’s constitution, which says the president has to be neutral.

Iohannis, formerly a member of the conservative-liberal National Liberal Party, on Tuesday rejected the nomination of Sevil Shhaideh, a member of Romania’s Tatar minority, who would have been the first female Muslim to head an EU country.

Shhaideh, 52, served as minister of regional development for six months before the previous PSDled government resigned in 2015 in the wake of a nightclub fire that killed 64 people.

She’s a little-known figure, but close to social democratic party leader Liviu Dragnea who was convicted of electoral fraud in April.

He was a witness at her 2011 wedding to a Syrian businessman, who is said to be supportive of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Dragnea has refrained from running himself, as Iohannis had previously ruled out swearing in anyone with a criminal record.

Although some opposition figures said Romania, a Nato member, could not have a PM whose husband was loyal to Assad, the president would not elaborate on his reasons for rejecting Shhaideh.