When will the new Minister of Education be appointed? The scenarios considered by the prime minister
Bolojan Government meeting. Photo: Government of Romania
PNL President Ilie Bolojan stated, in a broadcast on TVR, that the liberals are considering two options for appointing the future Minister of Education: either a personality with a reputation as a technocrat, or a party member with older political involvement. Regardless of the chosen solution, Bolojan proposes that the future minister be installed in office by the end of the month.
When asked why he took over the interim position at Education only on Tuesday, given that the former minister, Daniel David, resigned on December 22, Ilie Bolojan answered: “Daniel David's resignation coincided with the end of the year. We had two possibilities: a quick formula or the classic version with an interim so that at the end of the month we would come up with a proposal for a minister.”
“You put your credibility on the line”
The deadline is fixed so that the future holder of the portfolio participates in the discussions on the state budget for 2026, which would be adopted in the second half of February.
Asked to comment on the speculation that there would be no “crowding” in the PNL for the position of Minister of Defense, Bolojan said: “It is not about crowding, in these years it is not very easy to have responsibilities in areas that have gone through restructuring such as education. My belief is that we will find a good proposal.”
The prime minister claims that the nomination of a person with a profile closer to that of a technocrat, such as Daniel David, is being considered, as well as the option of a person with older political activity.
“Both hypotheses are valid, we analyze all options. When you become a minister, you put your credibility on the line, the years of work in which you formed an image, and when they take measures that don't sound good, you risk having your credibility affected, but not because you did something wrong. That's what Daniel David did, and I should thank him,” Ilie Bolojan said.
The interim, officially taken over by the prime minister
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan will take over the position of Minister of Education on an interim basis, according to an official announcement by the Government. The move comes in the context in which 22 days have passed since Minister Daniel David announced his resignation, but without effect.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan can also temporarily hold the position of Minister of Education for a maximum of 45 days, according to the law. However, if the 45-year term is exceeded, there are no penalties. In the past, Bolojan held the position of deputy prime minister vacated by Dragoș Anastasiu for more than 45 days.
In the 45 days, theoretically, the prime minister is supposed to make a new proposal for a minister.
“Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan submitted to the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, the proposal to revoke the position of Minister of Education and Research of Mr. Daniel-Ovidiu David, as a result of his resignation, and the interim takeover by the Prime Minister of Romania”, the Government announced on Tuesday evening.
Ilie Bolojan is preparing new cuts in education. Prime Minister's plans for 2026: “Major financial adjustments”
Who will replace Daniel David?
The two people considered to replace Daniel David at the Ministry of Education are Marilen Pirtea or Luciana Antoci, as HotNews wrote, citing political sources, since Daniel David's resignation.
Contacted last week by HotNews, Marilen Pirtea did not give a concrete answer when asked if she had made a decision regarding taking over the position of Minister of Education. “We have not completed the discussions,” answered Pirtea.
He had previously admitted that he had been offered the position of Minister of Education, but said he was waiting for the holiday period to end to have a discussion with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
Luciana Antoci could not be contacted by HotNews for a point of view.
