Romanian President Names Muresan PM After 4-Month Crisis

Romanian President Nicusor Dan designated liberal MEP Siegfried Muresan as prime minister on Thursday, September 17, following a fifth round of consultations at Cotroceni Palace. The move comes after more than four months of political deadlock since the Bolojan government fell in a no-confidence vote on May 5. Muresan accepted the nomination shortly after the announcement.

The president acknowledged that a parliamentary majority for the new cabinet is not yet secured. Muresan needs 233 votes for investiture, but the PSD, the largest parliamentary group, has already signaled opposition. PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu called the choice "surprising" and "disappointing," announcing his party will recommend voting against the government.

“I am glad that Siegfried Muresan accepted the nomination for the position of prime minister.”

Consultations on Thursday included all parliamentary parties, notably the far-right AUR, which participated for the first time. AUR leader George Simion reiterated his party will not support a government it is not part of. UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor stated a stable majority is impossible without PSD involvement and expressed openness to a technocrat cabinet backed by major parties.

USR leader Dominic Fritz maintained his party's proposal for two successive minority governments but said they are open to discussing the president's nominee. PNL representatives rejected renewed cooperation with PSD, comparing the relationship to that of "aggressor and victim." The political crisis has lasted 135 days, with two previous prime minister-designates, Eugen Tomac and Adrian Vestea, failing to form a government.

Muresan said work on an updated governing program is underway with experts from PNL, USR, and UDMR, to be presented early next week. He emphasized the need for a responsible government to avoid a credit rating downgrade, defending the fiscal consolidation measures of the previous Bolojan administration. The parliament is expected to vote on the new cabinet in the coming days.