New Romanian government

Emil Boc is the new Romanian prime minister. He has been sworn into his role. He is the youngest ever Romanian leader and will lead a coalition of the liberal and social democrats. Boc was the second choice of President Traian Basescu when Theodor Stolojan turned him down last week.

President Basescu said: “A compromise was needed in order to get through a difficult period, and I want to believe that this government will fulfill its mission until 2012.”

Boc says his goal is the stability of the country, to sort out the economic crisis, tighten state budgets, and introduce reforms, draconian ones if necessary. Boc says the aim is to get Romania out from under the watchful eye of the EU while continuing the drive for membership of the Eurozone. (Euronews)

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Romania's parliament approved a new government on Monday after the prime minister designate vowed to cut public spending by 20 percent to try to deal with a looming economic crisis. Emil Boc's center-left government was approved in a 324-115 vote by parliament, after the two main coalition partners won 70 percent of seats in Nov. 30 elections.

"The crisis is not an excuse to not have reforms," Boc said before the vote. "We will have a measured government that will reduce costs by 20 percent." The new government "has two messages," he said: "More work and (we will use) the same cars, same offices and the same sofas."

The government was sworn in late Monday by President Traian Basescu. Boc, 42, heads the Democratic Liberal Party, which will control the economy, defense and finance ministries.

The other main coalition party is the Social Democratic Party. Its leader, Mircea Geoana, is the new head of the Senate. The new head of the lower chamber of deputies is a former Miss Romania, Roberta Anastase of the Democratic Liberal Party. (AP)