Romania’s would-be center-right coalition partners can’t agree on who will lead new Government

The leaders of Romania's National Liberal Party (PNL), which is leading the negotiations for forming a center-right coalition, approved a more "flexible" mandate of the negotiation team - including two scenarios for distributing the leading positions among the two main partners. The problem is that both of them have been previously rejected by the reformist block USR-PLUS.

(In the opening photo, USR-PLUS co-presidents Dacian Ciolos and Dan Barna talk to PNL leader Ludovic Orban at a public event organized by the Bucharest City Hall. Photo by: Inquam Photos/ Octav Ganea)

PNL would accept to maintain the nomination of finance minister Florin Citu for the prime minister position if the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban gets the top position in the Chamber of Deputies. This is the scenario that led to the deadlock in the negotiations last Sunday. USR-PLUS block said that they accept Citu, or any Liberal prime minister, as long as they get the top position in the Chamber of Deputies.

The second scenario approved by the Liberal leadership regards a new term for prime minister Ludovic Orban and the Senate president position for Florin Citu (as a consolation prize), while USR-PLUS can lead the Chamber of Deputies. However, USR-PLUS also rejected this scenario claiming that Orban is not fit for another term.

PNL’s would-be partner in the center-right ruling coalition announced its decision in a Facebook post on December 16, after Orban had asked for the coalition partners' support to get the prime minister nomination. "We believe that a new Government led by Ludovic Orban [...] does not meet the expectations of the center-right electorate that wants a new beginning and a Government with a reformist agenda," USR-PLUS stated.

The third coalition party, the Hungarian Democrat Union (UDMR), has been rather discreet in the discussions for the PM seat.

After his party lost the parliamentary elections on December 6, Orban resigned as prime minister and said he wouldn't try to get another mandate. His party decided to propose finance minister Florin Citu as prime minister. However, Ludovic Orban changed his mind after USR-PLUS refused to support him for the Chamber of Deputies speaker position. USR-PLUS wants this position for one of its members but is willing to give this position to Orban provided that its co-president, former European Commissioner and PM Dacian Ciolos, gets the prime minister nomination. However, the Liberals don’t want to give up the PM seat.

Meanwhile, president Klaus Iohannis, who was very much involved in the Liberals’ electoral campaign for the December 6 elections and in the initial negotiations for the center-right coalition, took a step back and said he would let the parties figure it out for themselves who they propose for PM.