November 27 (SeeNews) - Romania's former prime minister Viorica Dancila said she has decided to resign as Social Democrat Party (PSD) leader following defeat in Sunday's presidential election run-off.
"I understood the opinion of my colleagues, the fact that they want a fresh start for the party and that someone must take responsibility for the outcome of the elections. It is not a moment of weakness, it is a moment of dignity and I feel that I had to resign as PSD president," Viorica Dancila said in a televised statement on Tuesday evening, following a six-hour meeting of the party's executive committee.
Marcel Ciolacu, chairman of the lower chamber of parliament, has replaced Dancila as interim until a party congress due in February, she added.
Incumbent president Klaus Iohannis has won a second five-year term, defeating Dancila in a run-off vote on Sunday.
Iohannis has won 66.05% of the votes, while Dancila was backed by 33.95% of voters, according to partial official results released on Monday morning.
On October 10, the Social-Democrat government led by Dancila lost a no-confidence vote requested by National Liberal Party (PNL), which accused the cabinet of incompetence. At the beginning of November, Romania's parliament gave its backing to a PNL government led by Ludovic Orban in a vote of confidence.
PSD scored lower than usual at the European Parliament elections in May and its then leader Liviu Dragnea was imprisoned for three years and a half for providing fictitious employment to two PSD members at a public agency.