A rotation government in Bucharest
Romania prepares for a new government coalition.
Roxana Vasile, 14.06.2023, 14:00
Two weeks later than initially scheduled, due to the general strike in the Romanian undergraduate education system, the rotation government is a first in the country’s democratic political history. Thus, the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă stepped down as prime minister, to make room for the Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu, based on an agreement from November 2021. At that time, in the context of a political crisis, triggered by the fact that USR had broken off the coalition with the Liberals, a surprise new cabinet was formed, bringing together the former political foes of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democrat Party (PSD), supported by the junior partner UDMR, representing the Hungarian minority in Romania. The condition, however, was that a Liberal would serve for one year and a half before stepping down, allowing a Social Democrat to replace him. The partied kept to the terms of the agreement. Consequently, the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă stepped down as prime minister, and president Klaus Iohannis appointed the Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu as PM on Tuesday, following consultations with parliamentary parties.
After heated debates, meetings and negotiations, the PM designate submitted to Parliament the governing programme and the list of ministers to make up the new Cabinet. In the absence of consensus with UDMR, the list submitted by Ciolacu does no longer include any representatives of the Hungarians in Romania, but only of PSD and PNL.
Romania should see a 3% economic growth by year-end and an inflation rate of 8%, said Marcel Ciolacu, who presented the central elements of the new governing programme: “We plan to solve, once and for all, the problem of special pensions, pass a new legislation on unitary payment, stop the rise in prices, improve the purchasing power and develop the public education and healthcare systems. The main argument to convince Romanians abroad to return to the country is to create more and better paid jobs.”
In his turn, the former PM Nicolae Ciuca said that, jointly with the Social Democrats, the Liberals’ priority is to develop the country: “We have pledged to ensure stability and overcome the crisis and we saw that economic growth is possible. As of this moment, when the government rotation is completed, it is our duty, of the PNL and PSD, to commit to carrying out projects that should truly develop this country, so as to increase the citizens’ revenues and bridge the gap between those of Romanians and those of other EU citizens.”
Following Wednesday’s hearings in Parliament of the candidates proposed for the minister positions, the new Cabinet could be invested by Parliament as early as Thursday. (EE)
