Romanian ombudsman challenges law banning convicted officials from government

Romania's ombudsman asked the Constitutional Court on Thursday to strike down a law that bars people convicted of a criminal offence from joining the government, a move that could help the leader of the ruling party to become prime minister. The 2001 law prevented Liviu Dragnea, leader of the leftist Social Democrats (PSD), from becoming premier after his party won a Dec. 11 parliamentary election as he is serving a two-year suspended jail sentence over a 2012 vote-rigging case. President Klaus