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Romanian president nominates diplomat Luca Niculescu as prime minister
Niculescu must win parliamentary backing within 10 days as Dan seeks a majority and vows to keep Romania on its pro-Western course.
On Monday, October 5, 2026, Romanian President Nicusor Dan nominated diplomat Luca Niculescu as prime minister-designate at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, marking his fourth attempt to resolve Romania's monthslong governmental deadlock.
The political crisis began in May 2026 when Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan was ousted in a no-confidence motion filed by the Social Democratic Party and the nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians.
Niculescu, a 55-year-old former ambassador to France, Andorra, and Monaco, said his primary task is building a parliamentary majority to ensure economic predictability and "maintain Romania's pro-Western course."
PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu criticized the nomination, claiming it "continues to defy parliamentary arithmetic" and warned that continuing Bolojan's austerity policies would require early elections to "get Romania back on the right track."
Constitutional rules allow the president to dissolve Parliament if it rejects two Cabinet proposals within 60 days, a mechanism heightened by regional security concerns including Russian drone incursions linked to Russia's war in neighboring Ukraine.
President Nikushor Dan of Romania, after further consultations with the parliamentary forces, put forward a fourth candidate for the post of Prime Minister, and previous attempts to form a government failed.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan wants to prevent new elections. After the fall of the government, he now presents the fourth candidate for the office of Prime Minister.