Romania PM to Submit New Cabinet Next Week

Romanian Prime minister Victor Ponta said Wednesday he expects to submit his new cabinet to parliament next week following the breakup of his center-left coalition

"I intend to seek parliament's green light next Tuesday," Ponta told private TV channel B1.

The National Liberal Party (PNL), a key coalition member, quit the government on Tuesday after failing to reach an agreement with the Social-Democrat prime minister on a reshuffle.

The move was triggered by growing competition between the Liberals and the Social Democrats ahead of the November presidential election, analysts say.

The Romanian political scene is notoriously volatile and alliances can change fast.

Despite the departure of the Liberals, Ponta is expected to win enough support from junior parties to stay in power.

Romania's center-right president Traian Basescu called on Ponta to have his new cabinet sworn in as soon as possible.

"At this moment, we have a very unstable government," he said.

The PNL had 10 ministers in government.

The Social-Liberal Union (SLU), a coalition formed by the Social-Democrats, the Liberals and two smaller parties, had won a two-thirds majority in a December 2012 election, riding on discontent against against austerity measures.

But after years of recession and sluggish growth, Romania's economy expanded by 3.5 percent in 2013, one of the fastest growing in the European Union.