Government crisis in Romania – health minister fired over handling of COVID-19

Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu fired his health minister on Wednesday, saying he wanted to shore up trust in state institutions as they battle the coronavirus pandemic, but potentially endangering the centre-right coalition government.

The dismissal of Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu marks the first major shift in the ruling coalition formed after a December parliamentary election between Citu’s Liberals, centre-right grouping USR-Plus – which backs the minister – and the ethnic Hungarian Party UDMR.

The three groups can count on roughly 56% of votes in parliament but their majority hinges on party leaders agreeing on governing issues. “To be successful in fighting the pandemic I have always said

there is a need for trust in state institutions,”

Citu said on Wednesday after dismissing Voiculescu.

“To ensure trust in state institutions endures, I have decided to make a change at the top of the health ministry. I strongly believe in this governing coalition.”

Citu did not elaborate. Voiculescu, 37, an economist, had pledged to make the healthcare sector and state hospitals more transparent, and has faced a backlash from politicians and politically appointed hospital managers.

Voiculescu was in the process of hiring new heads of county health insurance agencies who