A woman is set to become Romania’s first Muslim prime minister, and Europe’s third head of state of that faith, after she was nominated on Wednesday.
Sevil Shhaideh’s Social Democrat Party gained the most seats in the country’s elections ten days ago. The party’s leader Liviu Dragnea was unable to take up the post as she was convicted of electoral fraud in April.
Romania’s population is made up of 86 percent Orthodox Christians, with Muslims representing only 0.3 percent of the population, according to the 2011 census. The Muslim minority mostly consists of ethnic Tartars and Turks, remnants of the former Ottoman Empire which ruled there for five centuries.
Shhaideh's selection particularly stands out, given that Romania’s Muslim population is much smaller in relative terms than in other European Union nations. The proportion of Muslims in France is 7.5 percent and in Germany, 5.8 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
However, in 2015 only six out of the French National Assembly’s 577 MPs were Muslim, and in 2010 it was reported that only five of Germany’s 622 MPs were of Turkish descent.
Social media users from around the world have responded positively to the announcement of Shhaideh’s nomination:
#SevilShhaideh is going to be first female and the first muslim Prime Minister of #Romania. More power to women. #Diversity is the way to go pic.twitter.com/VoZzfW8mt8
— Rehman Siddiq (@RehmanSid) December 21, 2016
may have been robbed of its 1st female president but Romania might get its 1st Muslim woman Prime Minister. So, go ?
— Dolfin Dolfin (@PuffyCurry) December 22, 2016
This news comes at a time when the president-elect of America has claimed that “Islam hates us”, and has threatened to develop a registry of Muslims in the US. Meanwhile, several countries across Europe are on the brink of electing far-right candidates on the promise of tighter immigration laws. However, Romania looks set to buck this trend with its unexpected choice of national leader.
Shhaideh must await her formal designation as prime minister from the president, and win a vote of confidence in Parliament before taking up the position.
RA
