Marcel Ciolacu new Prime Minister of Romania Pressure on Kosovo: why the EU and US side with Serbian President Vucic

Marcel Ciolacu is the new Prime Minister of Romania. On Thursday, the parliament in Bucharest elected the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) as head of government by a large majority.

He replaces Nicolae Ciuca of the bourgeois PNL party, who resigned after an agreement with the PSD. The Hungarian UDMR party, which has been part of most cabinets in Bucharest since 1996, is no longer in government.

The almost equally strong major coalition parties PSD and PNL had already decided in mid-legislature on this unusual shift at the top of the government when the government was formed after the last parliamentary elections in December 2020. The next regular parliamentary elections are scheduled for autumn 2024.

In his inaugural speech in parliament, Ciolacu pledged a policy of “patriotism in the economy” by promoting domestic industry. Romania’s entry into the border-free Schengen zone, which the EU has had to postpone several times due to a lack of unanimity between EU countries, is also a priority. The Hungarian party UDMR strongly criticized its expulsion from the coalition. “Yes, I admit we are upset,” said UDMR chief Hunor Kelemen. The process was “a deliberate execution of a credible, balanced and responsible partner”. (sda/dpa)