Romania’s political stalemate was ended on Monday night as President Klaus Iohannis nominated the opposition leader and former head of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, Dacian Cioloș, as prime minister a week after Florin Citu was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
But it may be just a temporary reprieve, with Cioloș – who is leader of the Union to Save Romania party (USR) – expected to struggle to win the approval of Romania’s parliament. If Cioloș cannot form a government, Iohannis will have to nominate a second candidate to replace Citu.
If that second candidate cannot gain the support of parliament, the country will face new elections.
Cioloș struck a bullish tone in a Facebook post on Monday, saying that USR – until last week known as USR Plus – was ready to “start negotiations with other parties […] to form a new government.”
Citu, the leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and key Iohannis ally, was ousted last week after Romania’s opposition parties united in a vote of no confidence brought by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and backed by USR and the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR).
There was speculation that Iohannis could defy the vote and nominate Citu again as leader, but the president backed away from the move in the face of questions about its constitutional legitimacy.
Analysts said that the move by Iohannis was a savvy one, not only because Citu remains as interim leader until his successor gains parliamentary approval, but also because it serves to tarnish Cioloș and his USR ahead of presidential elections in 2024 in which he was expected to run.
If he can win parliamentary support, Cioloș and his government inherit a health care crisis that has seen Romania’s hospitals pushed to the brink and combatting the country’s woeful vaccination record, which stands at a little over 33%, the second-lowest in Europe.
Anton Pisaroglu, a political strategist, told Euronews that Iohannis had put Cioloș “in an impossible position: if he wins the vote, he is faced with leading a Romania in the midst of a crisis, and if he loses he will only “build his profile as a loser” ahead of future elections.
“It was a good strategic move from the president,” he said. “[Cioloș’] political career might never recover from this.”
