Romania’s prime minister-designate teams up with 3 parties in a bid to form cabinet

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Muresan said Friday that he will try to form a government with three political parties, despite lacking a parliamentary majority, and aim to present a cabinet early next week.

Muresan, 44, a member of the European Parliament and Romania’s centre-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, told a press conference that he would “begin work immediately on a governing program” that he described as “pro-European and forward-looking.”

Romanian President Nicusor Dan nominated Muresan on Thursday after he received the most votes from political parties during consultations. Dan made two nominations in June after a no-confidence vote toppled Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in May.

“I am fully aware that Romania needs a serious and credible government, a government that continues reform measures, projects and programs initiated over the past year,” Muresan said at the Palace of Parliament in the capital, Bucharest.

“Starting today, I will work with colleagues from the three parties to draft the governing program,” he added.

Muresan said he would try to form a government with the PNL, Save Romania Union party, or USR, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. He will have 10 days to present a cabinet to Parliament.

Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, says a Muresan cabinet has “zero chances” of passing unless members of Parliament want to avoid an early election.

In Romania, the president can dissolve Parliament if it rejects two cabinet proposals within 60 days of the first rejection, which can trigger an election.

USR leader Dominic Fritz told the press conference that a government led by Muresan “will strengthen people’s confidence” in Romania and that the trio of parties would try to form a “serious and coherent” government.

Muresan became a European lawmaker in 2014 and is vice chair of the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament.

When the previous coalition came to power in June 2025, its priority was to reduce the budget deficit, but Bolojan found himself frequently at loggerheads with the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, over austerity measures.

Bolojan was sworn in with the aim of ending one of Romania’s worst political crises in its post-Communist history but was ousted after a motion was submitted by the PSD, which was part of the coalition, and the nationalist opposition Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party. He has remained prime minister in an interim capacity since.

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu opposed Muresan’s nomination and said he will meet with his party’s leadership to analyze the proposal.

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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.