USR PLUS leader Cioloș nominated PM, tasked with trying to form new Government

Dacian Cioloș MEP, the leader of USR PLUS, ALDE Party member in Romania, and former leader of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, was nominated on 11 October by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis as Prime Minister of Romania and tasked with trying to form a government.

After a round of consultations with the political parties, USR PLUS presented a proposal for Prime Minister and a plan for government, and so Cioloș was granted the first attempt to form a coalition and seek approval in the Parliament.

Last week, the government led by PNL’s Florin Cîțu was dismissed by the Parliament following a vote of no confidence. USR PLUS had been part of the coalition government but left last month following severe disagreements with Prime Minister Florin Cîțu and his decision to dismiss USR PLUS Minister of Justice Stelian Ion.

USR PLUS have expressed their wish to reform the same coalition, but without Cîțu as Prime Minister.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Cioloș said: “It is an honour and a great responsibility for which we are prepared, as we have announced since the party’s departure from the government. We are ready to take responsibility for the government and start negotiations with the other parties. Our objective is to get Romania out of the crisis and for that it takes a lot of responsibility from all political forces.”

Cioloș, who has previously served as Prime Minister from 2015 to 2017 and as European Commissioner from 2010 to 2014, now has less than 10 days to prepare a governing programme and coalition government and present this for a vote in the Parliament.

USR PLUS is the third largest party in Romania, with 80 out of 466 parliamentary seats.

According to the Constitution, the President of Romania may dissolve the Parliament if it has not given the vote of confidence for the formation of the Government within 60 days from the first request, or if it has rejected at least two votes of confidence.