President Traian Basescu’s nominees for the top jobs in Romania’s main intelligence services received Parliament approval on Wednesday. George Maior, who is due to head the Romanian Intelligence Service-SRI, received 285 votes in favour and 123 against, while Claudiu Saftoiu received 294 votes in favour and 114 against.

George Maior has been a representative of Romania’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats (PSD), and the head of the parliamentary commission supervising SRI and SIE. Saftoiu has been a presidential aide for Traian Basescu since 2004.

The president’s decision to push a representative of the opposition at the helm of SRI was seen as a compromise as both the opposition and the governing Liberal Party have been calling for a nomination unrelated to the presidency.

The two the former heads of SRI and SIE, who this summer decided to resign after the disappearance of a terrorist suspect, businessman Omar Hayssam.