Interior Affairs minister appointed Romania’s interim PM

Cătălin Predoiu, the Interior Affairs minister and interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), has been appointed the interim prime minister, the Presidential Administration announced.

PM Marcel Ciolacu, the head of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), resigned yesterday, May 5, after the governing coalition candidate, Crin Antonescu, failed to qualify for the second round of the presidential elections.

PSD also decided to quit the governing coalition, which it had set up alongside PNL and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DMR). PNL said it would stay on in government.

While PNL and UDMR announced their support for the independent candidate Nicuşor Dan in the presidential run-off, PSD said it would not publicly support any of the candidates.

Dan, who placed second in the first round with 20.99% of the votes, will face in the second round nationalist George Simion, the leader of AUR, who won more than 40% of the votes.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)