Bucharest, Oct. 5 (EFE).- Journalist and diplomat Luca Niculescu was appointed on Monday by Romanian President Nicușor Dan as new prime minister, in a fourth attempt to resolve the political crisis that has plagued the country since May.
Romania is currently governed by an interim government after the former Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (2025-2026) lost a no-confidence vote against his four-party coalition.
Niculescu, 55, has no political affiliation and comes to the position after serving as Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, since 2002, as Coordinator of Romania’s accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Romanian president highlighted Niculescu’s diplomatic profile as that of “a man whose job is to harmonize positions.”
He also emphasized that the new PM is a “guarantee” that the executive branch will maintain Romania’s pro-Western course, while also upholding fiscal discipline and the international commitments undertaken by the state.
The head of state added that the prime minister-designate will have complete freedom to agree with the various political forces on the structure of the new cabinet, whether it takes the form of a political or technocratic government.
Niculescu thanked the trust placed in him and noted that the country is in a prolonged period of political instability, exacerbated by a complex economic and international context.
The candidate cautioned that he cannot promise “miracles,” adding that his immediate priority will be to build a solid parliamentary majority to support a government “firmly committed” to EU and NATO.
In the coming days, Niculescu will begin talks with the parties to negotiate a majority and agree on a “realistic” government program.
Just minutes after the announcement, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the largest in the chamber, Sorin Grindeanu, criticized the president’s decision, saying it continues to “defy parliamentary mathematics.”
Grindeanu said that, although they will analyze the proposal, his party will not cast a “blank vote” for a plan that, in his view, would amount to “a new political adventure.” EFE
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