Romanian premier resigns after his party comes second in election

Romania’s premier Ludovic Orban resigned on Monday night after his ruling centre-right party came second in elections on Sunday that attracted the lowest turnout since the fall of communism.

“I’ve done my best, we’ve done our best,” said Mr Orban after consultations with President Klaus Iohannis, one of his political allies. “I decided to end my term as prime minister after a year and a month in which Romania faced an extremely difficult period.

“Romania needs a responsible government that represents the will of the citizens and with my decision today I want to show one thing very clearly: I do not cling to the position of prime minister. The negotiations that will follow must lead to a government consisting of the centre-right forces wanting to use all the resources that Romania will have,” Mr Orban added.

It appeared on Monday evening that the next leader would be a member of Mr Orban’s current cabinet. Mr Orban said he was confident that his National Liberal party (PNL) would still be able to form the government and keep the opposition Social Democrats out of power.

According to preliminary results, the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) won 30 per cent of the vote, while the PNL received 26 per cent. The recently formed Save Romania Union, a centrist anti-corruption party that could form the backbone of a coalition with the PNL, won 14.5 per cent.

The Social Democrats’ first-place result is an embarrassment for Mr Orban, who was hoping to turn his minority government into a convincing mandate. 

Mr Orban came to power with parliament’s backing a year ago after a vote of no confidence toppled the previous Social Democrat-led government, which had moved to decriminalise corruption, sparking mass protests and the threat of legal action by the European Commission. From 2016 until their 2019 ousting, the PSD oversaw an era of political instability and attempts to significantly alter the work of the judiciary mirroring similar processes in Poland and Hungary that have aroused Brussels’ ire.

On Monday, Social Democrat Leader Marcel Ciolacu ruled out the possibility of a coalition partnership with the PNL.

However, the Social Democrats will struggle to find coalition partners, and Mr Iohannis, who must nominate the prime minister, is close to the PNL.

The incoming parliament is likely to consist of six parties, including the ultraconservative Eurosceptic AUR party, which participated in the ballot for the first time. The biggest surprise of the election was that the AUR won 9 per cent of the vote. Its leader George Simion said the party would refuse membership in any governing coalition, because “all parties are the same”.

Mr Ciolacu said he was willing to engage in coalition talks with the AUR.