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Romanian PM reelected as Social Democratic head

20 April 2013 20:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta was reelected on Saturday chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major in the ruling Social Liberal Union (USL), at a two-day congress, APA reports.

"I want a united, highly performing team," said Ponta after the election, stressing that only together with the strong team, he can change the future of the country for the better.

"We govern Romania and we are the strongest, most modern and hard-working party in Romania," said Ponta.

About 5,000 delegates from all over the eastern European country met on Friday and Saturday in the capital city of Bucharest at the extraordinary congress, the main item on the agenda being the election of a new leadership of the group till the 2016 election as well as the amendment of the PSD statutes.

Former President Ion Iliescu was reelected in the position of honorary chairman at the congress, while incumbent Secretary General Liviu Dragnea was elected party's executive chairman, an office that was reinstated under the newest party statutes approved on Friday.

Ponta, 40, has been the PSD chairman since 2010. He formed the USL in early 2011, together with Liberal leader Crin Antonescu and Conservative head Daniel Constantin. The union came to power last spring, after the center-right government led by former intelligence chief Mihai Razvan Ungureanu was toppled in a no-confidence motion on April 27.

The USL government was reinstalled after the union won a sweeping victory in Romania's quadrennial parliamentary elections on Dec. 9, 2012.