The priorities of the prime minister designate

Prime minister designate Siegfried Mureșan has ten days to garner support in Parliament.

Corina Cristea, 21.09.2026, 14:00

Designated by President Nicușor Dan to form a new government, MEP Siegfried Mureșan has 10 days to draft the governing programme and decide on his cabinet’s membership. He must also secure a majority of 233 votes in Parliament for his executive to pass. For the time being, the Prime Minister-designate is relying on 169 votes from the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. As early as last Friday, Siegfried Mureșan announced that the parties supporting him had begun work on the programme to be presented to the public in the coming days:

“I am aware that Romania needs a serious and credible government as soon as possible, a government that will go ahead with the reform measures, projects and programmes initiated over the past year. I know that Romania has gained trust and credibility over the last year. I know that Romania is more stable and stronger today than in the past, and we must continue on this path. Our goal is to have talks with members of the Romanian Parliament based on the priorities of the governing programme.”

As early as Friday, Siegfried Mureșan announced that he would uphold the “sound” principle of cautious public spending management, saying that these difficult times would be followed by a “growth phase” and that he is considering easing certain fiscal consolidation measures once the country can afford to do so. He pointed out that the Ilie Bolojan government, which was  dismissed in a vote of no-confidence but has been in power as caretaker government since May 5, did not implement certain controversial fiscal consolidation measures “for the fun of it,” but because they were necessary in order to avoid the freezing of European funds.

“We will need to carry out a budget revision, after which we will draft the budget for the coming year at the end of this year; only then will we see exactly what we can afford for the year ahead,” Mureșan added. To secure parliamentary support, Siegfried Mureșan said he was open to hold talks with the Social Democratic Party, a position recently shared by the Save Romania Union.

While the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania believe Siegfried Mureșan is the right person to lead a cabinet capable of securing a better future for Romania, the Social Democratic Party has had a reserved and critical stance toward his designation. The party is opposed to his  intention to continue Bolojan’s policies and is demanding a concrete plan to revive the economy, protect people’s purchasing power and preserve jobs. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, from the nationalist opposition, which has been excluded from negotiations, says that it will not vote for a government of which it is not a part and continues to call for early elections, a move that would be to their advantage according to opinion polls.