Romania has a new PM designate

President Iohannis Tuesday appointed the Liberal Ludovic Orban to come up with a new governmental team

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Roxana Vasile, 16.10.2019, 13:55

After consultations with the political parties in Parliament, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis designated the head of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, to put together a new Cabinet and a governing programme, and submit them for approval by Parliament. According to the head of state, the National Liberal Party is the largest opposition party and the initiator of the no-confidence motion which last week brought down Viorica Dancilas Social Democratic Government. The Social Democratic Party had been left with a minority government after their junior partners in the ruling coalition, ALDE, had switched to the opposition in August.

According to Klaus Iohannis, the new Liberal Government will be in charge, among other things, with the appropriate organisation of next months presidential election, with closing the 2019 state budget and preparing the 2020 budget.

Klaus Iohannis: “The National Liberal Party was the only party that said, in the consultations, that although it is a difficult job, they are ready to take over power in this transition period, because we are talking about a transition time. The Government that will be sworn in at some point in the forthcoming weeks will have a short term, until the parliamentary elections.

The PM designate Ludovic Orban, who has 10 days to present Parliament with his governing team and programme, promised that the new ministers will be honest and competent, and will have solutions for Romanias major problems. He added the priorities will include rebuilding macroeconomic balances, a large-scale restructuring of the governmental scheme, a focus on investments in the transport infrastructure, healthcare and education, true independence of the judiciary and strengthening Romanias position within the EU.

For the time being, the only hurdle for a new governmental team is to secure the 233 votes required for its endorsement by Parliament.

Ludovic Orban: “I trust all the partners who joined us in our effort to put an end to the Social Democratic government, and I am confident that in all the talks we will have from now on we will find the necessary insight, openness and interest in serving the citizens, because every day without a new government means that the Social Democratic Party and the Dancila Cabinet are still in power, in spite of having been dismissed through a motion of censure, of having no legitimacy and of virtually no Romanian willing to see them in power.

So far, the Liberals can only count on their own Senators and Deputies, and on the ones representing the ethnic minorities. Most of the other parties that helped dismiss the Dancila Cabinet have their own terms and conditions or are waiting to see what the new Cabinet proposes. As for the Social Democratic Party, they said they would not endorse a Liberal government as long as it lacks an action plan. The outgoing PM Viorica Dancila, encouraged on Tuesday by the new IMF forecasts regarding Romanias economic growth during her term in office, announced:

Viorica Dancila: “As president of the Social Democratic Party, and following talks with the leaders of the partys county organisations, I have decided that we will not take part in the vote on the new government.

In other words, if they managed to bring down the Dancila Government, the Liberals and the parties that supported them must now prove they are able to replace it.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)