The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main opposition group in the Romanian Parliament, will approve of the new, reshuffled government presented by Liberal PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu on Monday, PSD president Mircea Geoana announced today.

But he said his group will vote for the government reshuffle and the exclusion from it of the Democratic Party (PD) exclusively and it would not associate with the government in any way at territorial level.

Geoana said that between two evils his party chose the lesser one because it had the responsibility of support a minimal capacity of state institution to run properly.

His comments came as the PD president Emil Boc announced that his party would call a court to establish that the D.A. Alliance formed of Democrats and Liberals has ceased to exist judicially. The D.A. Alliance formed the core of the coalition government between the 2004 elections and the exclusion of all PD ministers from the government today.

Boc said PM Tariceanu defied millions of Romanians who voted for the D.A. Alliance in the 2004 elections by turning to its political rival of the time, the Social Democrats.

Prior to Geoana’s statements, PSD vice-president Ioan Rus had said in the morning that the party would set serious conditions to the reshuffled government, formed mainly of the PNL, with several portfolios going to the Hungarian Democrats (UDMR).

All members of the government are to face parliamentary hearing before their confirmation in office. The first four nominees - Cristian David, Cristian Adomnitei, Paul Pacuraru and Varujan Vosganian - will face their hearings late in the afternoon today.