Romania nominates Viorica Dancila as new PM

Romania's ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) nominated Member of European Parliament (MEP) leader Viorica Dancila as the new Prime Minister after the sudden resignation of former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose.

"Mrs. Dancila has been an MEP since 2009, she is respected in Brussels, she doesn't seek conflict. She is communicative and has good relations with the (European) Commission," PSD leader Liviu Dragnea said after a party meeting in Bucharest.

However, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who is a bitter critic of the government is unlikely to recognise Dancila's name proposed by the PSD due to political differences, the Euro News reported.

Former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigned on Monday after only seven months in the office. He was allegedly involved in a plagiarism scandal after some media reports had surfaced that he plagiarised some parts of other people's doctoral work when he was practising.

Subsequently, he lost the no-confidence motion and the support from the PSD.

The PSD has been riven by internal differences and has struggled to win public confidence after ballot-rigging and other corruption scandals have plagued the country in the last few years.

Dancila was a local councillor and a county councillor, prior to her engagements in the European Parliament. She is a two-time member of the European Parliament since 2009.

She is also the president of the Social Democratic Women's Organization (OFSD) since 2015.