Key facts
- President Nicușor Dan nominated EU lawmaker Siegfried Mureșan as prime minister.
- Mureșan has 10 days to form a cabinet and win a parliamentary vote of confidence.
- Romania's political crisis has been ongoing since April.
- The Social Democrats and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians are not supporting Mureșan's nomination.
- Mureșan is a member of the European Parliament and vice-president of the European People's Party.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan nominated member of the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan as the country’s next prime minister on Thursday, in his third attempt to resolve a prolonged political crisis. Mureșan, a member of the National Liberal Party, has been given 10 days to form a cabinet and secure a vote of confidence in parliament.
The country has been mired in political instability since April, when the Social Democratic Party and the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians ousted then-Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan over austerity policies. President Dan's previous two nominees failed to garner sufficient parliamentary support.
Dan cited Mureșan's experience in the European Parliament and his negotiation skills as reasons for the nomination. Mureșan accepted the proposal, stating that "Romania needs a credible government as soon as possible."
However, Mureșan faces opposition from the Social Democrats and the Alliance, the two largest parties in the lower chamber. Social Democrats' president Sorin Grindeanu expressed disappointment, criticizing Mureșan for campaigning against Romania's interests in Brussels to cut European funds. Alliance leader George Simion declared, "We are not voting Germany, nor France, nor [the Social Democrats]. Only Romania."
Mureșan has served in the European Parliament since 2014 and has been a vice-president of the European People’s Party since 2019, playing a key role in EU budget negotiations.