Social Democrats

Romanian anti-corruption activists and opposition supporters prepared for more protests on Monday after the ruling Social Democrats showed strong support for their party leader, Liviu Dragnea, despite his receiving a second corruption-related sentence last week.

The National Executive Committee (CExN) of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) decided on Friday's meeting to continue support for the party's national leader Liviu Dragnea in all the political positions he is holding: national leader and speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Thousands of people protested on Wednesday evening in Bucharest and in other cities against the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code adopted by MPs and chanted slogans against the Government and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) ruling coalition, as well as against social-democrat leader, Liviu Dragnea.

A host of political parties in Macedonia are calling on Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to make good on a promise to scrap the country's six electoral units, making it easier for smaller parties to pick up seats in parliament.

The reshuffle proposed by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Tuesday is the first since the election of his government last year, and will see two small ethnic Albanian parties join the ruling coalition, boosting its support in the assembly.

The Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, which controls two MPs in parliament, will get one ministerial post and one deputy minister.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday at the meeting with the Social-Democrat pensioners, that she will not resign as long as she has the support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD, major at rule, ed.n.) leader Liviu Dragnea and that of the governing coalition (PSD-ALDE, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, minor at rule, ed.n.).

Opposition MPs say parliament's lack of control over the work of the country's intelligence agency is worrying.

The joint committee of Bosnia's state-level parliament, which supervises the work of the Intelligence Security Agency, has been without a chair for months because of political disagreements.

Germany’s acting Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on March 8 that he would not be a member of the new government under conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel who will lead a coalition with his Social Democrats (SPD).

Social Democratic Party leader Martin Schulz announced his resignation, DPA reported. Shortly after, the party's leadership announced that it supported the chairman of the SPD parliamentary group Andrea Nahles for the post. Her candidacy will be voted on by party members on April 22.

Leaders of Romania's ruling centre-left coalition on Monday said they were considering the formation of a new committee in parliament to investigate the possible existence and workings of a "deep state" - as their conflict with anti-graft prosecutors worsens.