Three center-right parties in Romania’s outgoing governing coalition on Friday proposed European lawmaker Siegrfried Muresan as their candidate for prime minister, although it remains uncertain whether they can secure the necessary votes for his approval.
The Social Democrats, Romania’s largest party, triggered a political crisis when they left the coalition in early May and allied with the far-right opposition to oust liberal Prime Minister Iulian Bolosanu. This political standoff threatens early elections in Romania, where the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians, which opposes the European Union’s initiatives on rearmament and aid to Ukraine, currently leads in public opinion polls by a double-digit margin.
Government Negotiations and Party Positions
The Social Democrats have nominated their leader Sorin Grindeanu as a candidate for prime minister and have ruled out supporting any government in which they do not participate. The Liberals, part of the center-right trio alongside the Save Romania Union and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR, have also refused to form another coalition with the left.
The leaders of all four parties in the outgoing coalition were scheduled to meet with centrist President Nicusor Dan on Friday evening to discuss further steps to support a minority government.
Far-Right Party Position and Previous Failures
The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, the second-largest party in parliament, voted against a law permitting the downing of Russian drones violating national airspace near the border with Ukraine and has been a vocal critic of the EU. Earlier this week, the liberal prime minister, appointed by Dan without consulting his party, failed to secure a vote of confidence in parliament.
Source: The Straits Times