Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu speaks to media at the PSD headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, May 5, 2025, the day after the governing coalition’s candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the presidential election rerun. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Romanian premier resigns after his coalition’s candidate fails to advance to presidential runoff
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) 鈥 Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, a day after the governing coalition鈥檚 joint candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the European Union country鈥檚 critical presidential election rerun.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu speaks to media at the PSD headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, May 5, 2025, the day after the governing coalition’s candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the presidential election rerun. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) 鈥 Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, a day after the governing coalition鈥檚 joint candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the European Union country鈥檚 critical presidential election rerun.
The coalition鈥檚 candidate, Crin Antonescu, finished third in Sunday鈥檚 first round vote, putting him narrowly behind Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, and far behind 鈥 who decisively took first place.
鈥淩ather than let the future president replace me, I decided to resign myself,鈥 Ciolacu, who came third in last year鈥檚 annulled presidential election, told reporters after a meeting at the headquarters of his Social Democratic Party, or PSD.
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Before the meeting Monday, Ciolacu stated that one of the conditions of forming the coalition last December was to field a common candidate to win the presidency. 鈥淎fter seeing the vote of the Romanian people and the fact that this coalition did not meet its objectives,” the coalition now 鈥渓acks any credibility,鈥 he said.
An interim prime minister will be selected from the current Cabinet of ministers and appointed by interim President Ilie Bolojan.
Sunday鈥檚 rerun underscored strong anti-establishment sentiment among Romanians and signaled a seismic power shift away from the traditional mainstream parties. It also renewed the protracted political turmoil that has gripped the EU and NATO member country.
The ballot took place months after a top court annulled the previous race following allegations of , which Moscow has denied. That decision plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
The coalition was after the failed presidential election. It is made up of the leftist PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities.
