Romanian President Klaus Iohannis officially designated Marcel Ciolacu as the Prime Minister.
„The pro-European coalition proposed a candidate whom I have decided to accept. Therefore, I designate Mr. Marcel Ciolacu for the position of Prime Minister of the Romanian Government.
At the same time, allow me to wish the new coalition, a pro-European, pro-Romania coalition, which has all the chances to continue Romania's very good path after the undeniable economic successes, after Romania's entry into the Schengen area, and I believe they will handle very well the problems we are currently facing, such as building the budget and setting the calendar for the presidential elections," said the head of state on Monday at the Cotroceni Palace.
Following the president's brief statement, Marcel Ciolacu also spoke:
"Mr. President, thank you for the trust you have bestowed upon me. The mandate entrusted to me today is an honor. I believe we have all learned from past mistakes. I hope we will find the best solutions for the times ahead. I am aware that it will not be an easy mandate."
After the designation, the Prime Minister is expected to officially announce the list of ministers, which has already been revealed through various channels since yesterday.
The future cabinet will have 16 ministries. Eight will be held by PSD, six by PNL, and two by UDMR.
The ministers will be heard by parliamentary committees on Monday, and the investiture vote could take place on the same day in Parliament.
The governing coalition will also have a common candidate in the person of Crin Antonescu.
On Tuesday, Christmas Eve, it is anticipated that the new Executive will already take the oath at Cotroceni, if everything goes smoothly.
Why all this rush? Because there are urgent measures to be taken, specifically ordinances to be adopted, which should come into force starting from January 1st, aiming to at least fine-tune the state budget, which is in a very difficult situation.