Bucharest (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – President Iohannis nominates PM Ciolacu to form a pro-European coalition government following the cancelled presidential election.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on 23 Dec 2024 nominated incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to head the latest pro-European coalition administration in hopes of finishing a prolonged political situation in the European Union nation following the nullification of a presidential election by the highest court.
As reported by AP News, after talks with Romania’s political groups, President Klaus Iohannis nominated Ciolacu of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) to attempt to create a government. The president’s pick will be required to be endorsed by lawmakers.
Ciolacu, whose party outperformed the election in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election, has performed as prime minister since June last year.
It will not be a straightforward mandate for the coming government,
Ciolacu stated.
We are conscious that we are in the depth of a serious political problem. It is also a situation of trust, and this coalition seeks to recover the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.
What challenges does Romania face with a new coalition?
Prior to the parliamentary elections, there was a presidential election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu succeeded in the first contest, in which Ciolacu stood third. Georgescu’s shock success descended Romania into a frenzy as allegations of electoral offences and Russian interference appeared. Days before the Dec. 8 presidential vote, the Constitutional Court pushed the unusual move to cancel the presidential race.
The new alliance is expected to include the PSD, a small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), and national minorities. The three players have also decided on a common pro-European nominee to enter the rerun of the presidential vote, the date of which is yet to be revealed.
Each of the signatories of this political agreement has understood the signal sent by Romanians during the general elections,
Ciolacu stated.
