Romanian President will organize new talks for PM nomination after new Parliament is sworn in

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis announced he would organize a new round of consultations with the political parties to get their proposals for the new Prime Minister after the new Parliament is sworn in next week. Iohannis called the political parties that will be represented in the new Parliament to consultations on Wednesday, December 14, to find out who they consider should be the next Prime Minister. However, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and its ally, the Liberal Democratic Alliance (ALDE) rejected the President’s invitation. “PSD should know that this non-cooperation attitude towards Romania’s President is unhealthy,” Iohannis said on Wednesday evening. PSD, which won the parliamentary elections with a score of over 45% and will likely form a majority in the Parliament with ALDE, is almost sure to name the new head of Romania’s Government. In fact, none of the parties that went to the Cotroceni Palace for talks made any Prime Minister proposal. The National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Save Romania Union (USR), which promised to support Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos for a new mandate, only took 20% and 9% of the votes. However, PSD leader Liviu Dragnea has a tough choice to make: either to propose himself for this position and risk being rejected by the President or find someone else within his party to lead the cabinet under his guidance. President Iohannis said again on Tuesday that he wouldn’t nominate a Prime Minister with integrity problems and Dragnea has a 2-year suspended conviction for electoral fraud. Moreover, an existing law says that a convicted person can’t be a member of the Government. editor@romania-insider.com