Romania’s parliament on Monday voted to back Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s coalition government, just hours after President Klaus Iohannis tasked him with forming the cabinet.
The new government comprises the Social Democrats (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, and a parliamentary group representing national minorities. Of the 466 lawmakers, 240 voted in favor of the government, while 143 opposed it.
“It won’t be an easy mandate,” Ciolacu admitted. “We’re in the midst of a deep political crisis—a crisis of confidence. This coalition’s goal is to regain the trust of citizens.” He emphasized the need for reforms and investments, particularly as the country faces an “economically challenging year.”
The coalition parties will divide the 16 ministerial positions. The PSD, which Ciolacu leads, will hold eight posts, including Justice, Transport, Labor, and Defense. The PNL will take six, and the UDMR two. Many current ministers, including Ciolacu himself, will remain in office.
This coalition is widely viewed as a tactical move to sideline right-wing nationalists, according to the AP. President Iohannis was expected to swear in the new government later that day.
However, the coalition’s stability is already in question. Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University, doubts it will last the full four-year term, citing the narrow parliamentary majority. He predicts the 2025 budget will be its first major test.
Ciolacu has served as prime minister since June 2023. In the recent annulled presidential election, he finished third, trailing far-right independent Calin Georgesco and pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi.
Romania plunged into political chaos after allegations of electoral law violations and Russian interference in favor of Georgesco. The constitutional court annulled the first-round results, citing intelligence that revealed a coordinated online campaign by Russia to support the far-right candidate.
Ciolacu has vowed to expedite the resumption of the presidential election. The coalition has already united behind a pro-European candidate, Crin Antonescu, a former PNL leader.
