President Nicușor Dan explained on Friday why he designated Siegfried Mureșan as a candidate for the position of prime minister, even though he does not currently have a parliamentary majority. The head of state called on parties to find a solution for the investiture of a government and avoided stating whether a potential failure could lead to early elections.
Nicușor Dan also discussed the effects of the prolonged political crisis, the warnings from rating agencies, the initial decisions that the future Executive should take, and the military support provided to Ukraine.
The statements were made after the inaugural Summit of the Carpathian Integration Initiative, held in the Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Why He Designated Siegfried Mureșan
Asked why he opted for Siegfried Mureșan, the president replied that he had the greatest support following the consultations at Cotroceni.
"I chose the person who has the most votes behind them at this moment. I would have liked to choose a person who already has a majority taking shape. Unfortunately, we are not in that situation. That's why we held consultations to make the decision based on them," stated Nicușor Dan.
The head of state specified that he made the decision after approximately six hours of consultations held on Thursday with the parliamentary parties.
Siegfried Mureșan has ten days to negotiate a majority, to form his team, and to present the government program to Parliament. "We have now started a ten-day process. I believe all parties need to focus on forming a government. I hope the designated prime minister will succeed in gathering a majority, and we will only discuss that within those ten days," said the president.
When asked if he takes responsibility in case the parties do not vote for the new government, Nicușor Dan replied, "We are already in a zone of collective irresponsibility. I appeal to parties to find a solution, to pass a government."
Avoiding Discussion on Early Elections
The president did not directly respond to questions about the possibility of triggering early elections if Siegfried Mureșan does not obtain the necessary votes. "At this moment, I want us to focus on the ten days of his mandate. There are discussions between parties, and politics is about how to reach a middle ground when initial positions seem irreconcilable," said Nicușor Dan.
The head of state also did not specify whether he would recommend the designated prime minister to go to Parliament for a vote in the absence of a majority or to resign. "I hope this nomination will come to a successful conclusion, and I do not want to comment on the dynamics of discussions between parties," he stated.
How Mureșan Received the Proposal
Nicușor Dan recounted that Siegfried Mureșan requested time to think before accepting the nomination. "He asked for time, which seemed reasonable to me. He acted in a relatively short time, so we are in a designation situation," said the president.
He also explained how the discussion unfolded: "I called him to inform him that I wanted to nominate him. At that moment, he asked for time to think. After making the decision, he called me to tell me he had made the decision."
According to the head of state, three parties proposed Mureșan during the consultations at the Cotroceni Palace.
Why He Did Not Choose a Technocrat Prime Minister
Asked if the designation of a technocrat or independent prime minister is still possible, Nicușor Dan stated that he presented all possible scenarios to the parties. "Yesterday, responsibly, I presented leaders from all parties with all possible scenarios. For each of the scenarios, they told me how they saw it and to what extent they were tempted, at that moment, to follow it. Based on that, I made the choice," explained the president.
He refused to discuss other options while Siegfried Mureșan has the mandate to negotiate the formation of a government.
Who Is the Leader Who Put the Party Ahead of the Country
Journalists also asked who the politician was who, during negotiations, told him, "Romania is your problem, the party is my problem." "A political leader from Romania. That's all I can tell you," replied Nicușor Dan.
The president refused to specify whether it was a left or right-wing politician and explained that he did not mention the episode to accuse a specific person.
"I do not want to qualify this statement, but I want to refer to the entire political spectrum and the way they viewed this entire period. There have been hundreds of hours of discussions, and trying to understand the motivation of the person in front of me, most of the time, I saw a party motivation rather than a national one," stated the head of state.
Interim Government Kept Investments on Hold
Nicușor Dan stated that state institutions continued to function during the months when Romania had an interim government, but acknowledged that numerous decisions were blocked. "I don't think it's good to present things in an apocalyptic key. It could have been better, but it could have been much worse. The SAFE program continued at a fairly good pace. Important laws passed through Parliament in extraordinary sessions. So, the Romanian state functioned throughout this period," affirmed the president.
However, he warned that the lack of a stable government affects investments. "On the other hand, obviously, with an interim government, many things have been put on hold. Nobody comes to invest in a country where they do not know what the future government will be," Dan emphasized.
Message for Investors and Rating Agencies
Asked about the warnings issued to Romania by rating agencies, Nicușor Dan mentioned that he met with investors exposed to the Romanian market. "I met with several investors who have exposure to Romania and tried to tell them that, in matters that matter, there is political consensus, as we have proven regarding the PNRR and the SAFE program," the president stated.
"It is better to have governmental predictability than the current situation. However, from Romania's perspective and the financial figures we have today, Romania is a country that needs to maintain its status as a recommended country for investments," he added.
Budget Adjustment and 2027 Budget, First Urgencies
Nicușor Dan believes that Romania's macrofinancial situation is better than when the Bolojan Government was installed and that immediate financial measures of the magnitude adopted then are no longer necessary. "The macrofinancial situation is much better now than it was a year and three months ago, when the Bolojan Government was installed. Now it's not a matter of immediate financial measures, as unfortunately was the situation then. The issue is time," stated the president.
In his view, the future government must quickly adopt the budget adjustment and prepare the budget for the following year. "At this moment, we need to make an adjustment because there are institutions that do not have funds for operation. And, precisely to provide predictability in the relationship with financial markets, we must negotiate and vote on the 2027 budget by the end of this year," affirmed Nicușor Dan.
Romania Will Donate Patriot Interceptors to Ukraine
The president also announced that Romania will contribute to the NATO initiative to provide Ukraine with interceptors for Patriot systems. "The interceptors for Patriot represent a joint effort of NATO countries that have such interceptors. Romania is one of them, and proportionally to the other NATO countries with interceptors, there will be a donation from Romania," stated Nicușor Dan.
He also discussed the drone production project: "There is already contact between Ukrainian companies and the Romanian Ministry of Defense. Things are advanced, and through the framework we have, let's say, the paperwork part is much simplified."
Regarding the incident where a drone reached the Constanta area, Nicușor Dan mentioned that Romanian institutions prepared a report with a public and a classified military part. "Based on this report, a set of questions was sent to the Ukrainian side to fully clarify the subject. They are still under analysis. I raised the subject today, at the bilateral meeting," said the president.
Nicușor Dan is set to leave for New York to attend the UN General Assembly. His speech in the plenary is scheduled for September 23rd.