Romania forms a new pro-European coalition government amid ongoing political crisis

By Malek Fouda with AP, EBU

Ciolacu’s new government received 240 votes in favour, seven more than the required 233 votes for motions to pass.

Eight ministries will be under the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) control, six will be overseen by the National Liberal Party (PNL) while the remaining two cabinet posts will be taken up by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.

Romania’s new cabinet members took the oath on Monday before incumbent President Klaus Iohannis.

Iohannis said he spoke with all the new cabinet members, wishing them success and urged them to work in unity for the people of Romania.

Iohannis also said all the ministers he had spoken with had expressed interest in the continuation of Romania’s pro-European trajectory.

On 1 December, Ciolacu’s PSD secured approximately 22% of the votes in an election cycle clouded with controversy.

The parliamentary race came sandwiched between the first and second round of the country’s presidential race, which saw the right-wing make considerable gains in Romania’s political landscape.

Far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians finished in second in the parliamentary race, winning just over 18% of the votes.

Iohannis’ decision to nominate Ciolacu to form a government is widely seen by critics as a tactical push to shut out the far-right.

The country has been thrown into political instability since and Ciolacu understands the task ahead, will be difficult.

“It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis. It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.”

The parliamentary election came on the heels of a presidential vote in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu won the first round, in which Ciolacu came third. Georgescu’s surprise success plunged Romania into turmoil as allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.

Days before the 8 December presidential runoff, Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race.

President Iohannis, who announced he would stay in his post until a successor is elected, hopes the new government can end a protracted political crisis in the European Union and NATO country.