Leading figures within Romania's ruling Social Democratic Party on Wednesday called for the resignation of their chief, Liviu Dragnea, widely regarded as the country's most powerful politician.
In an unprecedented move, three deputy heads of the PSD party wrote a letter, published in local media, calling for Dragnea to step down as he had become a "major liability to the party."
"In this crisis situation, to avoid the international isolation of the country and loss of trust in PSD, we call for the immediate resignation of Liviu Dragnea as party chief and president of the Chamber of Deputies", the letter said.
Dragnea, 55, led the PSD to a sweeping victory in 2016 elections.
But he was unable to run for the post of prime minister himself because of various legal troubles, including a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging in a referendum in 2016.
Nevertheless, he is widely seen to be the man pulling the strings within the government.
Dragnea's legal troubles had "opened up the PSD party to attack and was a never-ending source of internal and external distrust", the officials complained in their letter.
The party was "in a permanent state of war," they added.
In June, Dragnea was sentenced to three-and-a-half years over a fake jobs scandal but he is currently appealing the conviction.
He is also under investigation for fabricating documents to obtain EU funds.
One of the letter's signatories, Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea and perhaps his strongest opponent, clashed with Dragnea last month, accusing him of leading the party in a "dictatorial" fashion.
Romania has seen repeated mass protests in the last two years, with the PSD accused of trying to hinder efforts to clamp down on corruption.
Leading figures within Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party on Wednesday called for the resignation of their chief, Liviu Dragnea, widely regarded as the country’s most powerful politician.
In an unprecedented move, three deputy heads of the PSD party wrote a letter, published in local media, calling for Dragnea to step down as he had become a “major liability to the party.”
“In this crisis situation, to avoid the international isolation of the country and loss of trust in PSD, we call for the immediate resignation of Liviu Dragnea as party chief and president of the Chamber of Deputies”, the letter said.
Dragnea, 55, led the PSD to a sweeping victory in 2016 elections.
But he was unable to run for the post of prime minister himself because of various legal troubles, including a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging in a referendum in 2016.
Nevertheless, he is widely seen to be the man pulling the strings within the government.
Dragnea’s legal troubles had “opened up the PSD party to attack and was a never-ending source of internal and external distrust”, the officials complained in their letter.
The party was “in a permanent state of war,” they added.
In June, Dragnea was sentenced to three-and-a-half years over a fake jobs scandal but he is currently appealing the conviction.
He is also under investigation for fabricating documents to obtain EU funds.
One of the letter’s signatories, Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea and perhaps his strongest opponent, clashed with Dragnea last month, accusing him of leading the party in a “dictatorial” fashion.
Romania has seen repeated mass protests in the last two years, with the PSD accused of trying to hinder efforts to clamp down on corruption.
