Romania’s Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu secured a majority to become prime minister after his new government won a confidence vote, completing a power swap between the Black Sea nation’s two ruling parties.
(Bloomberg) — Romania’s Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu secured a majority to become prime minister after his new government won a confidence vote, completing a power swap between the Black Sea nation’s two ruling parties.
Lawmakers in Bucharest voted 290 in favor of Ciolacu, who succeeds Liberal party leader Nicolae Ciuca. The two rival parties agreed on the handover two years ago as part of a joint coalition agreement that’s given the eastern European Union nation a measure of stability after years of political turmoil.
“This coalition has proved that we can meet our objectives and together we stabilized the country in very difficult times,” Ciolacu told Romania’s parliament on Thursday. He reiterated his aim to boost wages and public investment as the nation of 19 million catches up with EU standards.
With war raging in neighboring Ukraine and the region grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, Ciolacu laid out an agenda this week that includes boosting investment while bringing a halt to rising prices and meeting the nation’s goal of reining in debt.
The new premier also said he’d seek to eliminate special pensions and deploy local and EU financing to back companies that produce locally.
Marcel Bolos, a former EU funds minister, takes over as finance minister, while Alina Gorghiu, a deputy parliamentary speaker, becomes justice minister. Sebastian Burduja, who had been tasked with Romania’s digital economy, will be energy minister.
The ruling parties’ majority was trimmed after a junior partner representing ethnic Hungarians quit the coalition over the new cabinet lineup.
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