Nicusor Dan, expected to appoint the prime minister these days. The main name taken into account by the president. What the calculations show
Nicușor Dan would announce the name of the new prime minister on Tuesday or Wednesday, official sources told HotNews. The favorite for the position of head of the Government remains Eugen Tomac, who is accepted by PSD, without a formal decision yet in the party, but who does not have the certainty of votes from PNL, USR and UDMR.
- Romania entered the fourth week without a full government, after the dismissal of Ilie Bolojan and his cabinet through a no-confidence motion.
For almost a month, since Prime Minister Bolojan was dismissed, formal and informal negotiations took place in Cotroceni for the formation of the new Government, and the name of the future Prime Minister could be announced these days by President Nicușor Dan, according to HotNews information.
Variant Eugen Tomac premier
The name of Eugen Tomac has been circulated in the last two weeks as the favorite option, but it is not clear how he will manage to form the necessary majority for the installation of the Government. For the new government to pass, 233 votes are needed.
The Social Democrats are open to Tomac's proposal, but they will make a decision only after they see the government program proposal and the majority he will be able to gather, party sources told HotNews.
At this moment, however, Tomac, MEP, honorary advisor to the president and PMP leader, has no support from PNL and USR, who remain behind Ilie Bolojan and refuse to be part of a government with PSD. Without the 135 votes of PNL and USR, the future Executive could gather a maximum of 223 votes, in the context in which PSD, UDMR, National Minorities, United for Romania, the PACE group and all unaffiliated parliamentarians would support the Government. In this scenario at least 10 more votes would be needed.
From the beginning of the negotiations, there were several names on the president's short list, such as Radu Burnete, presidential adviser, Delia Velculescu, head of the International Monetary Fund's mission in South Africa, also invoked during the formation of the previous Government, and Alexandru Nazare, the current interim Minister of Finance (PNL).
Several scenarios are further considered – that of a technocratic Government consisting only of independent ministers or one consisting of politically supported ministers.
After the new prime minister is announced, he will have to negotiate in turn with all the parties in Parliament, in order to coagulate the necessary majority.
At the moment, PSD has the most votes – 127 senators and deputies. AUR has 90 votes, PNL – 76, USR – 59, UDMR – 31, the National Minorities group -17.
How PNL, USR and UDMR are positioned
The designation comes in the context in which three of the formations of the former governing coalition have announced since last week that they will not make any decision until they see the proposal from Cotroceni – PNL, USR and UDMR.
Prime Minister Bolojan said last week, in an interview with DigiFM, that the Prime Minister Eugen Tomac scenario “appeared in the public space on sources. When there is a version announced by the president, I will consult with the party and we will make a decision.”
Then followed the USR, which through the voice of the Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, conveyed the same thing, and the leader of the UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, said that he did not want to advance scenarios about the possibility of entering the government until the president makes a nomination. He declared last Tuesday, on Euronews, that he does not have “a problem” with the Tomac version, but that he wants to restore the PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR coalition, which has “a majority and very clear support”.
In addition, sources from UDMR say that the formation will not support the version of a minority Government consisting of PSD and UDMR. Final decisions will be made after the nomination of the president.
Small party votes are not guaranteed
The prime minister's support is negotiated, including in Cotroceni, by the small groups in Parliament:
- United for Romania, made up of former POT members: 16 votes
- SOS Romania: 15 votes
- PACE – First Romania: 11 votes
- Unaffiliated MPs: 21 votes
However, at the end of the consultations that took place two weeks ago at the Cotroceni Palace between the president and these small parties in Parliament, it emerged that the vote of these parliamentarians is not guaranteed.
Some of them said they will vote for whatever the president proposes, others demand a “sanitary cordon against extremism” or say their vote depends on what the future Executive's government program will look like, and others invoke early elections to get out of the crisis.
