Victor Ponta

Bucharest will ask Serbia in the coming days to extradite former MP Sebastian Ghita, who is wanted in Romania on several corruption charges.

Ghita, 38, was detained in Belgrade last Thursday night after identifying himself to police with fake Slovenian documents.

He was arrested after Serbian police thought it strange a "Slovenian" was speaking only in English.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday designated Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the country's new Prime Minister.

The move ended days of uncertainty following the Social Democrat Party's convincing victory in the December 11 legislative elections.

The head of the Romanian Social Democratic Party, PSD, Liviu Dragnea on Wednesday named former minister Sorin Grindeanu as the party's new candidate for the post of Prime Minister.

President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday rejected the PSD's first nomination, Sevil Shhaideh, a 52-year-old Muslim woman from the Tatar minority, without clarifying the reasons.

Romanian president on Dec. 27 rejected the left-wing Social Democrats' candidate for prime minister, Sevil Shhaideh, who comes from a Turkish minority and would have been the European Union's country first female and Muslim premier.

Romania's centre-left wing Social Democrat Party, PSD, won the country's legislative elections on Sunday, but failed to secure a parliamentary majority, leaving the door open for negotiations on forming a coalition with another parliamentary group.

Romania's technocrat Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Tuesday that he would not run in the upcoming general elections but would accept another mandate as head of the cabinet if he finds he can work with the National Liberal Party and if it will support his ideas for reform.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is in no way implicated in the court file under which Romania's former Prime Minister Victor Ponta is being investigated, but Blair's name has been mentioned publicly by co-defendant Sebastian Ghita, chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi said Friday.

In an article published on Friday, Politico.eu notes the divergent paths Bulgaria and Romania have taken in their efforts to fight corruption, with Bucharest making progress and Sofia lagging behind.

The articles focuses on the role of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), which has made a deep impact in a country known for public malfeasance and mismanagement.

Romania's parliament on Wednesday rejected prosecutors' requests to allow the arrest of Sebastian Ghita, a wealthy businessman and lawmaker who has been indicted for creating an informal network of power that was used to "determine the appointment of several persons in important positions".

A total of 176 MPs rejected the request, while 107 MPs backed it.

Parliament in Romania has summoned Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to explain why he replaced several local prefects in what is seen as a move by the main parties to increase pressure on him ahead of local elections.