On March 10, the Parliament would vote on the new Ombudsman, as well as the new composition of the CNCD and the Court of Accounts. The appointments, however, are causing tension between the coalition parties.
The appointments that would be approved by the Parliament on March 10 could generate a new deadlock, in the context in which the PSD and the USR do not agree on the nomination of the new People’s Advocate, a position that would go to the USR, say sources from the Coalition.
The proposal for the position of People’s Advocate
The coalition dispute started from the USR’s proposal for the position of People’s Advocate, Roxana Rizoiu, which the PSD would not accept on the grounds that she is a special pensioner. Rizoiu, former Romanian government agent at the ECDO and former INM trainer, allegedly granted a loan of 120,000 lei to Nicușor Dan in the 2025 elections.
Roxana Rizoiu is proposed for 5 years as People’s Advocate, after the mandate of Renate Weber, appointed with the support of PSD and ALDE, expired more than a year ago, being currently interim.
The head of the Court of Accounts belongs to the PSD, which must support a candidate for the continuation of Mihai Busuioc’s mandate.
Six positions in CNCD
On the list of appointments there are also six positions in the College of the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD), including the position of president of the Council. According to the law, “when appointing the members of the Board of Directors, it will be ensured that at least two thirds of them are licensed in legal sciences”. Therefore, it should also be taken into account whether the candidates have legal studies. 19 candidacies were submitted, but only certain proposals supported by the parties will also have the vote of the political majority.
According to the calculations between the parties at the formation of the coalition, along with the position of the People’s Advocate, USR also has the post of president of the National Council for Combating Discrimination. PNL and UDMR will each be able to propose one member, and PSD two. The sixth term will go to AUR, the opposition party that has the second largest share in the Parliament.
Thus, according to “Adevărul” information, USR will support Iulia Popovici, who would also be president. PNL will support Cristine Thellmann (without legal studies), and UDMR Molnar Zsolt (without legal studies), currently deputy of the People’s Advocate. From the Opposition, AUR will support Rozalia Dana Varga (without legal studies). Varga is a former adviser in several governments led by the PSD (the cabinets led by Viorica Dăncilă and Victor Ponta). She also held positions in several parties, in recent years passing through PNL, ALDE, PSD and then AUR.
PSD sources say that a clear decision was not made in the party regarding the two names that the party would support for CNCD, but most likely Adrian Diaconu, former PSD deputy and senator, who was also a member of the Board of Directors of CNCD, will enjoy the support of the formation.
However, two other former PSD MPs entered the race, Horia Grama, who was also a member of the Board of Directors of the CNCD in the period 2020-2025, and Moagher Laura Mihaela, PSD member since 2009, who is currently an advisor at the Court of Accounts. However, Moagher did not submit all the necessary documents (without proof of legal studies). The candidacy of Jura Cristian, supported by PSD in the past for a mandate in the CNCD, also appears.
Although unlikely, SOS Romania will support Nistor Florin, a councillor, and the PACE-Intâi Romania parliamentary group proposes Radu Alexandru Marin (without legal studies), a teacher at Secondary School 133 in Bucharest.
Seven months at the Court of Accounts
On the list is also a position of adviser of accounts, after the departure of Mihai Busuioc to the Constitutional Court (CCR), which belongs to the PSD. According to “Adevărul” information, former minister Eugen Teodorovici, AUR senator Potecă Vasilică and Marin Popescu, who work within the Organization for Human Rights OADO, submitted their candidacies.
After the new appointment from the Court of Accounts, elections for the position of president would be held. The duties were temporarily taken over by Mirela Călugăreanu, who remains one of PSD’s options to permanently take over the head of the institution. Sources from the party state that there is no decision to support former minister Eugen Teodorovici.
