Romania names diplomat Niculescu as fourth prime minister pick
Romanian President Nicușor Dan named diplomat Luca Niculescu as prime minister-designate on Monday, his fourth try to end a five-month government crisis. Niculescu has 10 days to win a vote in parliament. The poll-leading far-right AUR party says it will give him zero votes.
Romania is trying again to get a government. President Nicușor Dan on Monday named Luca Niculescu, a senior foreign ministry official, as prime minister-designate.
Niculescu is the fourth person asked to form a government since the ruling coalition collapsed in May, Politico Europe reported. Romania's state news agency, AGERPRES, said the crisis began when parliament ousted the government of Ilie Bolojan in a no-confidence vote on May 5.
The clock is short. Niculescu must win a vote in parliament within 10 days to show he has majority support for his cabinet and his program, according to Politico. Lawmakers rejected two of Dan's earlier picks. A third never got that far.
Dan said he chose Niculescu because, "as a diplomat," he "knows how to harmonize different positions." The president warned that the long stalemate was hurting exchange rates, interest rates and investment. He said Romania also needs a budget for next year.
Niculescu is a former journalist, the Associated Press reported. For the past four years, he has led Romania's bid to join the OECD, a club of wealthy democracies. On Monday, he said his first job is to build a majority for a government "deeply anchored" in Romania's European and Western path.
The hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, known as AUR, leads the polls. Its leader, George Simion, skipped Monday's talks with Dan and repeated his call for a new election. Simion ran against Dan for president last year.
AUR made its position plain. "We are not part of the Luca Niculescu government; we will not vote for the Luca Niculescu government," party official Petrișor Peiu said on TV, according to the news site Informat.ro. Simion wrote on Facebook that Niculescu "is also a puppet" and promised "zero votes from AUR."
Dan has said there is no room in the next government for parties he calls anti-Western, which Politico said is his code for far-right groups. He has resisted calls to dissolve parliament, fearing a snap vote could bring AUR closer to power, Politico reported.
What we know: Niculescu has 10 days to win a confidence vote, and AUR will not back him.
What we don't: Whether the mainstream parties can unite behind him, or whether Romania heads to an early election.
Where outlets agree Politico, AGERPRES and AP all report that Niculescu is Dan's fourth nominee for prime minister in the current crisis.
Where they differ Dan says a pro-Western government can still be formed in this parliament, while AUR's Simion calls Niculescu a puppet and demands a snap election.