Romanian president approves minister sacking

The Romanian president approved on Thursday the sacking of Interior Minister Dan Nica, deepening a standoff within the ruling coalition that could bring down the government. Earlier this week, the coalition's Social Democrats (PSD) threatened to leave the cabinet if the dismissal of Nica, a member of the grouping, goes ahead. The centre-left coalition went into crisis this week after centrist Prime Minister Emil Boc suddenly sacked Nica and proposed a replacement from his own party, the Democrat-Liberals, before a November presidential election. A break-up of the coalition would put in question Romania's ability to meet conditions for International Monetary Fund aid, vital to combating a painful recession, economists say. Boc's Democrat-Liberals (PD-L) and their leftist partners have ruled since they took power in December, sparring over cost-cutting reforms and trading blame for economic woes. "The crisis is theirs now," Nica told reporters. Observers say the clash is a result of tactical manoeuvring between the two ruling parties, and not caused by policy differences, as their politicians vie for public support ahead of the Nov. 22 presidential election.