Romania's PM-Designate Negoita Keeps Finance, Economy Ministers

Gabriel Oprea and Bogdan Aurescu will head the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, respectively, Negoita told reporters.

Last week President Traian Basescu nominated Negoita, the mayor of one of the Bucharest districts, as prime minister-designate, two days after parliament rejected his previous nomination Lucian Croitoru, an advisor to the central bank governor. Croitoru had also kept Pogea and Videanu on their current positions.

Negoita is expected to present the new ministerial team to parliament for approval later this week.

The Liberals, Social Democrats and ethnic Hungarians, which together control two-thirds of the 471 seats in parliament and oppose the Democrat-Liberal Party of outgoing Prime Minister Emil Boc, have said they would not back Negoita's government. Boc's cabinet fell in a no-confidence vote last month.

Last week the International Monetary Fund and the European Union said they would postpone their next loan tranches under a 20 billion euro ($29.9 billion) stand-by arrangement with Romania until the political situation in the country stabilises.

($ = 0.667 euro)