Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila will challenge incumbent President Klaus Iohannis for his seat in the November 10 presidential election.
The Social Democratic Party, of which Dancila is a member, nominated her on July 23 despite the 55-year-old former European Parliament member having previously said she wouldn't run.
An August 3 party congress still must approve her candidacy.
"It's not an easy electoral situation for us, but I trust myself and my colleagues," Dancila, 55, said after the party meeting, as cited by AFP.
Her rival, Iohannis, of the country’s German minority already said he will run for a second five-year term.
He has been a vocal critic of Dancila’s government and the ruling coalition.
Earlier in July, Iohannis criticized the government for not adopting anti-corruption recommendations made by a European anti-graft body.
Iohannis said on July 10 that it was "extremely worrying" that Romania was still in the focus of European institutions.
A report by the Council of Europe's corruption-monitoring division said on July 9 that Romania had made "very little progress" to prevent corruption among parliament members, judges, and prosecutors and to address the concerns raised by its controversial judicial reform.
Social Democratic Party leader Liviu Dragnea furthermore has been jailed for corruption.
Another candidate is former Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, leader of the junior coalition party ALDE, which could cause discontent within the governing coalition.
Romanian Prime Minister Dancila To Challenge Incumbent Iohannis For Presidency
Related
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Inside The Ukraine-U.S. Minerals Deal (It’s Not What You Might Think)
2Exclusive: Russian Defector Leaks Files Revealing Shocking Scale of War Casualties
3After 1,700 Reported Desertions, New Ukrainian Brigade Now Fighting On The Front Line
4Exclusive: RFE/RL Obtains Copy Of U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
5Can Ukraine's Scandal-Hit 155th Brigade Redeem Itself?
6Belarus Selling Rapeseed Oil Sourced From Occupied Ukraine To The EU, RFE/RL Finds
7Zelenskyy Says Relations With U.S. Salvageable Despite Heated Exchange In White House
8Don't Expect Quick Ukraine Deal, Says Russian Expert Back From Moscow
9Ukraine, U.S. Reach Deal On Rare Earth Minerals, No Security Guarantees
10Analysis: 4 Takeaways From The Disaster In The Oval Office
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
