Ilie Bolojan designated Prime Minister
The President of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, on Friday designated the interim leader of the National Liberal Party, Ilie Bolojan, for the position of Prime Minister.
Radio România Internațional, 20.06.2025, 15:50
President Nicuşor Dan nominated, on Friday, the interim leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ilie Bolojan, for the position of prime minister. On Thursday, the president Dan held consultations with the political parties and groups represented in Parliament to designate the candidate for the position of prime minister. The nomination comes after several weeks of intense, difficult negotiations between the president, the leaders and specialists of the 4 pro-European parties in the Romanian Parliament, the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. They were joined by the deputies from the National Minorities Group.
‘There were sensitive issues and difficult measures that the parties assumed for the government, and none of the days we spent in these discussions was wasted. The urgency for Romania is the economic recovery, but to have this, you need to have a solid basis, and for this we have to work and the responsibility lies with the government and the coalition that supports it. We need to correct the financial deficit, in order to lay the foundations for the Romanian economy, with all its potential, to develop and bring prosperity to Romanians, said Nicuşor Dan. The Prime Minister designate, Ilie Bolojan, is the most suitable person to make the necessary adjustments in the Romanian state apparatus’, President Nicuşor Dan declared on Friday. The head of state said, at the Cotroceni Palace, that Bolojan proved, in the public positions he held, ‘that he knows how to reduce and streamline expenses’. “He is the most suitable person and he will find a partner in me,” the president pointed out.
Immediately after his nomination, Ilie Bolojan said that he would continue discussions with political parties to “put order in the country’s finances, work for good governance, create conditions for development and show due respect to Romanians”. I know that it will not be an easy undertaking, but I am convinced that, together with the president, with the responsible people in the parties, and relying on the citizens, we can overcome this difficult situation and put Romania back on a good path, added the prime minister designate.
The political analyst Cristian Pîrvulescu said on Friday that Ilie Bolojan was perceived as a coolheaded surgeon who will operate without anesthetic, the designation of the Liberal leader for the prime minister position being ‘logical’ but also presenting risks. We are already facing a multiple crisis. The budget deficit is affecting Romania’s credibility, the European Commission is demanding concrete measures, and populism is taking advantage of everything both on TikTok and in Parliament, Pîrvulescu told AGERPRES news agency. ‘This nomination is not a solution, it’s rather a bet. If he succeeds, Ilie Bolojan will repair what an entire political class has destroyed. If not, we may witness the end of a fragile democratic order,’ Pîrvulescu added. (LS)
