Social democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu nominated as new prime minister of Romania
After consultations with the parliamentary parties, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis nominated Marcel Ciolacu, the president of PSD (Social Democratic Party), to form a new government following the resignation of Nicolae Ciucă from the position of prime minister.
Ciolacu’s nomination means that PSD, already part of the ruling coalition established a year and a half ago, is being ceded the position of PM, as was the agreement between the Social Democrats and the Liberals.
“The coalition has now decided, after a year and a half, to operate on a new model for Romania. This model has worked very well so far, and I am confident that it will continue to work very well. Stability was promised to the Romanians, and stability has been delivered. There are no surprises after today's consultations, so I now designate Marcel Ciolacu for the position of prime minister of Romania and invite him to form a coalition government,” president Iohannis said, cited by Digi24.
Marcel Ciolacu has limited time to form the new government, which will include both current ministers and new names. An independent, Bodgan Mateescu, former president of CSM (Superior Council of Magistracy), will reportedly lead the Ministry of Justice. The president of PNL (National Liberal Party), Nicolae Ciucă, confirmed that his nomination is under analysis.
The ruling coalition will also likely drop UDMR (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) and its ministers. UDMR reportedly refused to give up the Ministry of Development to PNL.
Marcel Ciolacu, 55, is currently serving his third term as a member of parliament. He will now return to Victoria Palace, the headquarters of the government, this time as prime minister, nearly six years after being appointed deputy prime minister in Mihai Tudose's PSD cabinet.
A former president of PSD Buzău, Ciolacu is a founding member of PSD and has held all positions within the party's youth organization, municipal organization, and county organization in Buzău.
Between 2008 and 2012, he served as the deputy mayor of Buzău, and in 2012 he won his first term as a member of parliament. In 2013 he was appointed as an honorary advisor to Victor Ponta. From June 2017 to January 2018, he served as deputy prime minister in Mihai Tudose's cabinet.
Ciolacu graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Ecological University of Bucharest in 1995. He also completed specialized studies at the same institution in 2004. Between 2008-2009, he attended the National Defense College, specializing in security and national defense, and also holds a master's degree, obtained in 2012 from SNSPA (National University of Political Studies and Public Administration) in public sector fundamentals and public finance management, according to News.ro.
According to his CV, he is proficient in English and French. He is married and has a son.
(Photo source: Presidency.ro)
