The President of Romania swore in a new government yesterday, urging it to pursue reform and pave the way for EU accession talks as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the uprising that ended communist rule.
President Emil Constantinescu appeared on television to swear in the cabinet led by a non-party technocrat as Prime Minister, Mr Mugur Isarescu.
The president said reforms were crucial next year when Romania, one of eastern Europe's poorest states, is expected to start talks on possible EU membership.
"The mandate you are entrusted with is firm and clear: you will negotiate with international bodies, companies, banks and with other states," he said after the ceremony.
Meanwhile, the authorities in Bucharest and other cities held low-key observances marking the 10th anniversary of the popular uprising that ended five decades of communist rule. In central Bucharest, a small group watched in silence as officials laid flowers at a monument to the victims of the 1989 revolt, in which more than 1,000 people died.
Newspapers said the subdued mood reflected widespread disappointment at authorities' perceived failure to make the ideals of the 1989 revolt come true.
Mr Constantinescu appointed the central bank governor, Mr Isarescu, as prime minister on Tuesday to replace Mr Radu Vasile, who was sacked in a revolt by his Christian Democrat party amid popular discontent over plummeting living standards.
"Romania now has a government able to cope with major economic and social problems and tackle the complex negotiations with the EU," Mr Constantinescu said.
However, Mr Isarescu's team includes most of the ministers who served in Mr Vasile's cabinet. Senior ministerial jobs were given to members of the four parties in the ruling centrist coalition - Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Liberals and ethnic Hungarians.
Mr Isarescu's government aims to give fresh momentum to delayed reforms including the privatisation of loss-making state firms, halve inflation from the present 55 per cent and relaunch the economy.