In a bid to end a one-month political crisis, President Nicusor Dan on Thursday nominated European Parliament MP Eugen Toma to head a government of technocrats.
The move comes a month after Parliament ousted the centrist government of Ilie Bolojan, who was unpopular over austerity measures.
Tomac, 44, who heads the PMP, People’s Party is also an honorary advisor to President Dan. He formed the People’s Movement in 2013 which does not have seats in Romania’s Parliament.
Although it is a step towards ending the crisis, it is unclear whether Toma can secure the votes he needs for a new government.
He is expected to name a Cabinet of technocrats and politically affiliated ministers and is probably Romania’s best option to secure a parliamentary majority and end a monthlong political crisis.
The crisis began on May 5 when Parliament ousted Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government in a no-confidence motion, a move that saw the leu tumble against the euro.
Parliament’s biggest group, the Social Democratic Party, is expected to approve the pick. It was part of the previous government before joining forces with the nationalist AUR party to bring down the government.
An Avangarde survey carried out last week showed that a majority of respondents rejected a government of technocrats and an independent prime minister.
The poll was conducted after reports that President Dan was considering a government of technocrats.
Possible ministers in the Tomac Government
Luca Niculescu, former Ambassador to France and currently Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Coordinator for the OECD accession process, and the diplomat Mihnea Motoc are taken into account for the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs and of National Defense, respectively, in a possible technocratic government, sources told G4Media on Monday.
Current Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, could remain in office, the same sources said. Nazare was supported by the Liberal Party, which Bolojan heads, but is no longer a party member because he has been a member of the NBR Board of Directors since 2023. When he was appointed minister, he suspended himself from the Board of Directors.
