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3mo ago

Romania Appoints Interim PM as Presidential Runoff Approaches

Political instability deepens after Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigns, with far-right candidate George Simion leading the race against pro-Western Nicușor Dan.

FILE - A Romanian policeman holds effigies made of brooms of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, right, and Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu, left, during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu speaks to the media at the European Council building in Brussels, Dec 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)
Presidential candidate George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) speaks during an interview in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Mayor of Bucharest and presidential candidate Nicusor Dan pastes a campaign poster of himself on a specially designated board at the begining of the presidential election campaign in Bucharest on April 4, 2025. Romania's presidential election campaign officially begins Friday, with 11 candidates competing for the country's top office. The first round of voting scheduled for May 4. This year's election follows a controversial annulment of the 2024 presidential vote by the Constitutional Court. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on May 6 after his coalition's candidate failed to advance in the presidential election rerun, leading to the collapse of the pro-Western government.
  • Catalin Predoiu, a former justice minister and current interior minister, has been appointed as interim prime minister with limited powers for up to 45 days.
  • Far-right nationalist George Simion, who secured 41% of votes in the first round, will face pro-EU reformist Nicușor Dan in the May 18 presidential runoff.
  • Simion's campaign emphasizes nationalism, reduced taxation, and public-sector downsizing, while his critics warn of potential isolation from the EU and NATO under his leadership.
  • Romania's political and economic uncertainty has intensified, with the leu currency weakening and concerns over the country's large budget deficit growing.