BUCHAREST, Romania — On Monday, Romania’s president put forward the current Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu as the candidate to head a new pro-European coalition government, seeking to resolve an ongoing political turmoil in the country following the annulment of a presidential election by the country’s highest court.
After consultations with various political factions, President Klaus Iohannis appointed Ciolacu, who is affiliated with the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (PSD), in a bid to establish a stable government. Ciolacu’s party performed successfully in the parliamentary elections held on December 1 and he has held the position of prime minister since June of the previous year.
This expected coalition aims to marginalize far-right nationalists who have gained significant traction in parliament, reflecting a strong undercurrent of anti-establishment sentiment within the electorate.
“It will not be an easy task for the next government,” Ciolacu stated in a press release on Monday. “We recognize that we are facing a serious political crisis. This is also a crisis of trust, and our coalition intends to win back the faith of the citizens, the trust of the people.”
Lawmakers will need to approve the president’s nomination before it can take effect.
The parliamentary elections followed a presidential election, in which an unexpected outsider from the far-right, Calin Georgescu, emerged victorious in the first round, leaving Ciolacu in a disappointing third place. Georgescu’s surprising rise has triggered a wave of instability in Romania, marked by accusations of electoral misconduct and potential Russian meddling.
Just days prior to the presidential runoff on December 8, the Constitutional Court took the unprecedented action of nullifying the presidential election, adding to the political chaos.
The proposed coalition will likely include the PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the smaller ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, as well as representatives of national minorities. These groups have also reached a consensus on a shared pro-European candidate for the upcoming rerun of the presidential election, the timing of which has yet to be determined.
