What One Premier’s Demise Says About Who Runs Europe’s East
- Romanian premier’s exit shows party boss is really in charge
- Power structures in Poland, Serbia also raise questions
Liviu Dragnea, left, and Sorin Grindeanu.
Photographer: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Romania’s prime minister was no match for the ruling-party boss who had picked him only months earlier.
A no-confidence vote in parliament last week ended Sorin Grindeanu’s stint as premier, with Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea corralling lawmakers against him. Until recently, Dragnea was an ally: the pair went fishing in March. But, grumbling about delays in implementing the governing program, he turned on Grindeanu, who refused calls to step down. Dragnea’s meddling means that whoever takes over has “no chance of being in charge,” Grindeanu said June 21.