Klaus Iohannis nominates Dacian Ciolos as Prime Minister-candidate

President Klaus Iohannis nominated Dacian Ciolos as candidate for Prime Minister on Monday evening. The nomination came at the end of consultations at Cotroceni Palace between the head of state and representatives of parliamentary parties. The USR is the only party to nominate a prime minister, in the person of Dacian Ciolos, the party’s president, according to G4Media.

Klaus Iohannis’ statements:

• I had consultations with the parties today after the motion of no confidence.
• In all discussions I reiterated the importance of some issues that need to be resolved: the pandemic, the increase in energy prices. It is very important that we benefit from the large sums of money from the NRRP and that we do not miss this opportunity.
• We reiterated the importance of winter preparations. These are the important issues for Romanians
• The parties came up with different approaches and proposals
• I have retained a proposal that I will put into practice. I have decided to nominate Dacian Ciolos as candidate for Prime Minister.

Dacian Cioloș (52, from Sălaj) was elected president of USR in early October, when he defeated Dan Barna. He had previously served as prime minister from November 2015 to January 2017, having been appointed to head a government of technocrats backed by the PSD and the PNL after the tragedy at the Colectiv club.

Ciolos, a horticultural engineer by profession, was European commissioner for agriculture from 2010 to 2014, having previously served as agriculture minister.

The only party to put forward a name for prime minister was the USR, which went to the Cotroceni with Dacian Ciolos as a possible candidate. The PNL announced that it did not have a majority and the PSD insisted on early elections.

Edited for English