Romania names pro-EU PM after months of instability

BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) — Romanian President Nicusor Dan named pro-European Ilie Bolojan as prime minister on Friday, following weeks of talks aimed at appointing a new government to end months of political turmoil.

Bolojan, 56, leader of the liberal party, known as PNL, will be tasked with tackling Romania’s dire finances and reconciling the divided EU member.

Romania was plunged into political chaos when presidential elections were annulled in December over allegations of Russian interference, with a far-right candidate mounting a massive social media campaign.

In an official address Friday, centrist Dan, who won a rerun of the presidential vote in May, said Bolojan was the person “best suited to make the necessary adjustments in the Romanian state apparatus.”

Bolojan said he was “aware of the great responsibility” he was assuming in the face of Romania’s prolonged budget crisis — its deficit stood at 9.3% at the end of last year, the highest in the European Union.

Bolojan’s appointment will need to be confirmed by parliament, where he hopes to secure the support of four pro-European parties and form a government next week.

He will face a daunting task to unify a nation deeply polarized after recent elections, with far-right parties winning a third of parliamentary seats in December.

The talks to form a new government excluded the far-right parties, a decision defeated presidential candidate George Simion labelled as “a disgrace and an insult” last week.

The European Union has voiced concerns over the rise of Eurosceptic parties in NATO member Romania that are opposed to sending military aid to Ukraine.

‘Drain’ of public money

Bolojan came through the ranks of the liberal party he joined in 1993, serving as mayor of the city of Oradea in the north-west before eventually rising to the national level last year and taking over as party leader.

He took over as senate president late last year and fired 150 people in a bid to “stop” the drain of public money, a move critics branded as “abusive.”

“Such cuts can be made in many institutions,” he said.

In a news conference last week, Bolojan said Romania was “in a complicated situation,” adding that the incoming government would have to resort to “unpopular measures” that could include cutting public spending and imposing tax rises.

Political scientist Sergiu Miscoiu told AFP that Bolojan was “the person best placed to take unpopular measures to tackle the serious budget crisis.”

However, the analyst pointed out that apart from a brief time as interim president he had “no experience in national politics.”

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By ANI SANDU Agence France-Presse