Romania’s ruling Liberal Party will propose incumbent Finance Minister Florin Citu as the next prime minister after political consultations with President Klaus Iohannis.
“Mr. Citu has had negotiations with international partners and managed to maintain the country’s ratings at a very difficult point for Romania,” the outgoing Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Wednesday.
Mr Citu, 48, who studied in the U.S., became finance minister in Nov. 2019 when the Liberals took office after the Social Democrats were ousted in a no-confidence vote.
He was nominated to be prime minister earlier this year but failed to win broad parliamentary support.
Prime Minister Orban resigned after a disappointing result in parliamentary elections this weekend.
The Liberals met on Wednesday where they chose between several other candidates, including retired Army general Nicolae Ciuca, currently defense minister and carertaker prime minister.
Although the three-star general was reportedly a favorite with the president, the Save Romanian Union, which is expected to be a junior partner in the coalition said that a military officer was the not the best pick for the post of prime minister.
Mr. Orban said the party would discuss the party’s proposal with the Save Romanian Union and the ethnic Hungarian party which are expected to be in the governing alliance.
The Liberals came second in parliamentary elections, picking up more than 4% less votes than the Social Democrats, Romania’s biggest party.
The Liberals lost support over restrictions introduced during the coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted everyday life and hurt the economy.
President Iohannis will nominate a prime minister after discussions with all the political parties which have seats in Parliament. Lawmakers will then vote on the new government.
