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PM Nicolae Ciuca has submitted his resignation from the position of prime minister 

Liberal PM Nicolae Ciuca has submitted his resignation from the position of prime minister on Monday. The plan for leaving the Government was discussed at the level of the Coalition with President Klaus Iohannis.

 

The prime minister was waiting for an answer from the education trade unions on whether or not to end the strike, but decided to walk regardless of the teachers’ response to their latest wage offer.

 

So, the government switch between liberals (PNL) and social-democrats (PSD) is kicking off Monday, with PSD chairman Marcel Ciolacu being expected to be appointed prime minister. The new Executive would be installed at the Victoria Palace by the end of this week.

 

Decree by which President Klaus Iohannis took note of the resignation of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, leaving the position vacant, has been published in the Official Journal on Monday.

Moreover, the President also issue the decree by which Catalin Predoiu has been appointed interim PM. He will carry out the respective duties until a new government is created. 

 

National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Nicolae Ciuca announced that he will attend on Monday evening a meeting of the governing coalition in view of completing the new government, voicing hope that the negotiations are to end swiftly.

"We agreed this rotation to the prime minister office to take place and I believe that we can say we are entering a normality related to (...) political assumption. Now we are going to discuss in the coalition because we still need all the political commitment for the stability, the balance of the country and the achievement of the government's objectives. It is clear that by the end of the week, we must have a government with full authority. And this part of our commitment to continue the dialogue, to continue the negotiations, we hope to conclude very quickly, so that we can have the political consultations, have the vote in Parliament and have a Government," Nicolae Ciuca stated on Monday, at the PNL headquarters.

When asked what is to happen if the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) leaves the government, he said: "At the National Liberal Party level we have authority on the options you know very well, the first of which is to maintain the protocol or negotiation until a solution is found, so as to ensure a government majority. At this moment negotiations are taking place, discussions are taking place, assessments are taking place and when they are completed we will have the agreement for what means the future construction."

 

 The leaders of the UDMR do not participate in the meeting of the governing coalition, because they were not invited, political sources said. During Monday, the president of UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, stated that he found out about the meeting a day before, but that he did not discuss it afterwards.

"Yesterday, when we got up from the table, after finishing the discussions at the Victoria Palace, we decided that today, at 5:00 p.m., we would meet. Now it depends. Of course, I know about this meeting, we decided together, but since then I haven't discussed with Mr. Ciolacu. I met with the prime minister today at the government meeting. We'll see, I know about this meeting," said Kelemen Hunor at the Parliament. 

 

The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the minority group are currently holding a majority in Parliament, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday, adding that he wants the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) to stay in power.

Asked if, in the event that PSD stays in power with PNL only, he will have peace of mind regarding the laws passed in the Parliament, Ciolacu said: "I can live with this problem and there is a majority in Parliament, even if it were just PSD and PNL, but, as you well know, there is also the minority group, which will participate today in the finalisation of the governing agenda. At this moment, UDMR has not announced whether or not it wants to attend."

Asked what will happen to UDMR, he said: "At the political level - let's do our job. Politics means negotiations."

"At this moment, we entered a different institutional logic, namely the prime minister has gone to take the mandate to the President of Romania, the President of Romania will call us for consultations; there will be a prime minister-delegate - if you have questions ask the President of Romania, because it is the constitutional power of the President of Romania to make this designation - and with certainty, if I were the prime minister-designate, I would have a meeting with Mr Kelemen Hunor [UDMR's national leader] after that designation, together with Chairman Nicolae Ciuca. And I am firmly convinced that I will come and inform you."

He added that there will be negotiations and he will meet PNL national leader Nicolae Ciuca and national leader of UDMR Kelemen Hunor.

"It was as if we were still together three years ago when I was accused of selling Transylvania and I had secret meetings in the offices of the Romanian Parliament. And it was still you asking me if I sold Transylvania or if we had meetings. Now I see that I am no longer selling Transylvania to UDMR and I am no longer the partner to the UDMR, suddenly I am the one who brings out UDMR. My opinion is that in politics I think we have the right, as everywhere, to have a negotiation. What I can say very clearly today is the fact that, if I will be the designated person, I will have a meeting with Chairman Kelemen Hunor, with PNL Chairman Nicolae Ciuca. Furthermore, I want UDMR to stay in power. (...) We have respected each other and I believe that there are no major changes in the composition of the ministries."

Ciolacu added that he hopes that the new government will be inaugurated by vote by Thursday at the latest. 

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