UPDATE 1 PM Dancila fires EduMin Andronescu, recommends interim replacement

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Friday announced having dismissed Ecaterina Andronescu from the position of Education Minister for the latter's "profoundly wrong" statements made recently on a television show. "I have decided to fire Mrs Ecaterina Andronescu from her position of Education Minister today for the profoundly wrong statements made recently on a television program. Hers are statements that show a lack of understanding, in particular of the Caracal case and, in general of the way we need to protect our children from kidnappings, aggression, abuse and human trafficking. Hers is an attitude of no responsibility, which does not reflect the position of the Government and which I do not wish to become associated with the Executive I lead," Dancila wrote in a Facebook post. She also warns that any such slippage by the members of the Government will be penalised in the same way. "Any such slippage by the members of the government will, from now on, be penalisedin the same way. As I will publicly denounce any action or statement by political opponents, if they try to gain election capital on the pain caused by what has been what happened in Caracal," said Dancila. She also mentioned she recommends Minister of Culture Valer-Daniel Breaz to take over as interim Education Minister. Dismissed Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu, said on Thursday evening that she had "learned at home" not to climb "in any foreign car," referencing to the case of Alexandra, a 15-year-old teenager kidnapped and imprisoned in Caracal by a man she hitch-hiked. "For example, Alexandra was a student and she had a travel pass, I have learned from the School Inspectorate. What made her hitch-hike? I think that in the beginning of the school year, we will have to introduce in all the schools a child protection system and teach them to protect themselves, to stay safe, because I was taught at home myself... I think that we have to do all this in schools repeatedly," said Andronescu, according to the website of the Antena 3 private broadcaster. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Rodica State)