(18 Nov 2014) Romania's Foreign Minister resigned on Tuesday after barely a week in office because thousands of overseas citizens were unable to vote in this weekend's presidential elections.
Teodor Melescanu stepped down following the runoff vote, only a few days after his predecessor resigned due to similar problems with the first-round vote.
Melescanu accused his fellow countrymen of "passing responsibility from one person to another."
"I, as an honourable man, will assume my responsibility and resign during the government session from my mandates as Minister for Foreign Affairs," he told reporters in Bucharest.
Over the weekend, images from across Europe showed expatriate Romanians waiting in queues to vote at their nearest embassy.
One political commentator blamed the government's transitional period for the lack of organisation of overseas polling stations.
"The old president is about to leave, the new one hasn't yet started, and all these things decrease the reaction capacity of Romania," explained Ovidiu Nahoi.
Romanians see voting as a hard-won right following the fall of communism in 1989.
An estimated 3 million Romanians live abroad and they sent 3.6 billion euros (4.6 billion US dollars) home last year, much of it supporting poor families.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who lost in the presidential election to Klaus Iohannis, said the government was working on legislation to allow postal voting.
Ponta later nominated Romania's ambassador to the European Union, Mihnea Motoc, an experienced diplomat, to replace Melescanu.


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