Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of PSD and the Prime Minister of Romania, was the one who blocked the nomination of Ilie Bolojan for the presidential candidate position on behalf of the PNL-PSD-UDMR alliance.
According to several political sources, the PSD leader stated that the social-democratic voters would not support the former mayor of Oradea in the race for the Cotroceni Palace.
However, sociological studies indicated Bolojan as the only politician who could easily secure a majority, blocking George Simion’s path to the presidency.
In the most recent polls, the AUR leader is favored to reach the presidential final following the elections on May 4th, garnering over 33% of the votes.
Victor Ponta's candidacy, my former colleague, is a matter of personal pride. He has no chance whatsoever to make it to the 2nd round of the presidential elections
Marcel Ciolacu, PSD President, Prime Minister of Romania
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has reactivated Crin Antonescu, who has been out of politics for 10 years, counting on his victory with the help of mayors from PSD, PNL, and the huge electoral infrastructure of the two parties, which would also secure his position as Prime Minister.
PSD at a Crossroads
Marcel Ciolacu is among the survivor politicians, being one of the most successful in this regard. He has withstood over three decades, climbing all the hierarchical levels of the social-democratic party.
It is very challenging for him, now in the position of Prime Minister, to deny all his previous reasoning and stratagems, especially as his decisions have led him to the leadership of the party and the government.
However, his political career is at a crossroads, and the decision to bet on Antonescu, though correct from a political strategy perspective, may not serve him well this time.
Marcel Ciolacu ran for president on behalf of the PSD and missed the final, marking the first time a candidate from the party inheriting the structures of the Communist Party remained out of the decisive confrontation.
Although the elections were annulled, PSD, also for the first time, decides to support a common candidate alongside two other parties, PNL and UDMR.
Another surprise for the social democrats was the low score with which they won the parliamentary elections, 23%.
The biggest threat to the party is that 77% of the votes were against the formation. Over time, PSD has always had more horses in the parliamentary race, meaning smaller parties created and supported by social democratic leaders, used after elections to achieve a majority and legislative control.
The four rounds of elections in 2024, organized and led by the Ciolacu Government, were strictly driven by the interests of PSD and PNL, aiming for the total takeover of power and the elimination of any serious opposition. By combining local elections with European Parliament elections, the PSD-PNL alliance, known as USL, obtained over 90% of the elected mayors. Essentially, the electorate was deceived by the confusion created by the simultaneity of the two campaigns.
Traian Băsescu, former President of Romania, Facebook post
The Collapse of the Party-State
Due to the cancellation of the elections and the political crisis Romania entered after the CCR decision, less attention has been paid to the fact that we have actually witnessed the collapse of the party-state.
Since 1990, from the first free elections after the Revolution, until November 24, 2024, the political formation launched in the final days of Ceaușescu's dictatorship was supposed to dominate Romanian society, with the Communist Party transforming in every possible way to remain in power or quickly return if they lost it.
In one way or another, Marcel Ciolacu remains in history as the leader marking the end of the social-democratic hegemony. But this is a problem that concerns the current Prime Minister and PSD President to a very small extent.
His major concern is finding a solution to remain at the helm of the government even after the presidential elections in May.
"...it's a functioning Government, a Government that was invested by Parliament and whose activity I follow, I oversee as president, ensuring the good functioning of state institutions," stated Crin Antonescu in an electoral show, announcing that he has no intention of changing the Prime Minister.
"If they respect their program, if the Government's response to society's needs... is in line with its own program, its commitments, with what I believe is the Government's obligation, as president, to society. If something doesn't suit me, with some very serious arguments, I discuss them with those in the Government...," added Crin Antonescu.
He is the only candidate with chances to enter the second round of the presidential elections, announcing that he will keep Marcel Ciolacu at the helm of the Romanian Government.
New Presidents Change Prime Ministers
The coalition's candidate has little room for maneuver, and his position is vulnerable, with Marcel Ciolacu being the most unpopular politician in the country at present.
The PSD leader is seen as a proponent of the maneuvers made by former President Iohannis, who imposed the electoral alliance between PSD and PNL and a government accused of corruption and consolidating the privileges of the political elite.
George Simion, Nicușor Dan, Victor Ponta, Elena Lasconi are candidates who have officially declared that they will do everything legally possible to change the Prime Minister.
Regardless, in the presidential final, Marcel Ciolacu's fate will become a subject of electoral debate and discussion among candidates.
Looking back, it is observed that a candidate reaching the Cotroceni Palace tends to impose their Prime Minister. This is done following negotiations with Parliament, the creation of new majorities through alliances and coalitions.
Although sometimes it may take a year for the new president to change the Prime Minister, eventually, they succeed. The relationship between Iohannis and Victor Ponta is exemplary in this regard.
The latter was Prime Minister in 2014, PSD leader, and a presidential candidate. Klaus Iohannis defeated him, and a year later, he resigned following a political crisis triggered by the Colectiv Club tragedy.
When a Prime Minister's survival depends on mici and sarmale
Following Călin Georgescu's surprising victory last November, after a rapid and intense TikTok campaign, Marcel Ciolacu has become an enthusiastic user of the Chinese social network, attempting to rebrand himself as a popular figure - Source: TikTok/ Marcel Ciolacu
The Extremist Vortex
Marcel Ciolacu's situation remains complicated.
A loss of the Prime Minister position, which will happen sooner or later regardless of who becomes president, will quickly be followed by his removal from the party leadership.
However, this will not signify a revival for the PSD. The social democrats have a massive identity problem, and there is no sign that they are aware of it or have leaders who can solve it.
The biggest danger for the PSD is for their entire electorate to be engulfed by the extremist-nationalist-populist whirlwind of movements like AUR, POT, and others, with Marcel Ciolacu being the final chapter of the party-state. That, too, is an achievement.