The government led by Marcel Ciolacu, composed of ministers from PSD, PNL, and UDMR, received the vote of confidence in Parliament on Monday evening. There were 240 votes in favor and 143 against.
Political developments have moved very rapidly to ensure the new government is in place before Christmas.
Early on, the leaders of PSD, PNL, UDMR, and minority groups signed the coalition protocol, which includes a common candidate for the presidential elections - Crin Antonescu.
Subsequently, the two Chambers of Parliament convened to elect their respective new presidents: Ilie Bolojan (PNL) was chosen for the Senate and Şerban Ciprian Constantin (PSD) for the Chamber of Deputies.
This was the condition set by President Klaus Iohannis to designate a new prime minister. The head of state also acted swiftly today and appointed Marcel Ciolacu as prime minister.
The ministers were audited Monday afternoon by the specialized committees in Parliament, according to each portfolio. They all received favorable opinions. Subsequently, the Ciolacu 2 government received the vote of confidence from Parliament and took the oath before President Klaus Iohannis.
Why all this hurry? Because urgent measures need to be taken, specifically ordinances to be adopted, which should come into force on January 1st and aim to at least fine-tune the state budget, which is in a very difficult situation.
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21:50 - Members of the government led by Marcel Ciolacu arrived at the Victoria Palace on Monday evening for the first Executive meeting.
21:20 - President Klaus Iohannis stated that the immediate challenges include building the budget for 2025 and organizing the presidential elections.
"I wish you a lot of energy. Congratulations on the new Government. You are entering a difficult period in your new responsibilities. I wish you success in everything you set out to do, but, first and foremost, I wish you success for Romania and the Romanian people. People are waiting for solutions, stability, and a Government that firmly maintains Romania's trajectory," said the President in his speech.
21:05 - The ministers in the new Government took the oath before President Klaus Iohannis in a ceremony held at the Cotroceni Palace.
20:45 - The Parliament's decision regarding the vote of confidence granted to the Government led by Marcel Ciolacu was published in the Official Gazette on Monday evening.
20:05 - The Ciolacu 2 Government was voted in by Parliament. There were 240 votes in favor and 143 against. 450 parliamentarians were present, with 383 votes cast.
19:45 - The parliamentary vote on the investiture of the Government proposed by Marcel Ciolacu has concluded. The vote was secret, cast with balls.
19:00 - The vote has begun.
18:30 - PNL President Ilie Bolojan stated that the government they aim to invest in today is a necessity for Romania because we need stability, given the political crisis we are in. Bolojan emphasized that "the parliamentary majority and the Government have ambitious objectives to implement: reducing unnecessary public spending, decentralization, rebuilding the Romanian industry, supporting domestic production, especially agriculture, continuing major investment projects, and accessing European funds to help economic growth."
17:50 - Prime Minister-designate Marcel Ciolacu announced in the joint session that his Government will not implement austerity measures. He stressed that this Government will seek solutions to increase pensions for small pensions in 2025 and that bonuses and bonuses should no longer be a monthly obligation, as unfortunately they have become.
Photo: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea
17:20 - All 16 proposed members to be part of the new Government received a favorable opinion after the hearings in the specialized committees of Parliament. The joint plenary session of Parliament began for the vote of confidence in the Marcel Ciolacu Cabinet.
17:10 - Mircea Fechet, the proposed Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests, received a favorable opinion from the joint specialized committees of Parliament.
17:05 - Alexandru Rafila received a favorable opinion for the position of Minister of Health from the specialized committees of Parliament. 23 deputies and senators voted in favor of the positive opinion, while 17 parliamentarians voted against.
16:43 - Simona Bucura Oprescu, proposed for the Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity, received a favorable opinion from the specialized committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
16:40 - Cătălin Predoiu received a favorable opinion for the position of Minister of Internal Affairs from the specialized committees of Parliament.
16:35 - Marcel Boloș, the proposed Minister for the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, received a favorable opinion from the joint specialized committees of Parliament. There were 22 votes "for," 15 votes "against," and no abstentions.
16:30 - Angel Tîlvăr received a favorable opinion for the position of Minister of Defense from the joint specialized committees, with 24 votes "for" and 19 "against."
15:40 - Sebastian Burduja, the proposed Minister for the Ministry of Energy, received a favorable opinion from the joint specialized committees of Parliament. Burduja was validated with 32 votes "for" and 19 "against." "I thank my colleagues who trusted me for a new mandate. I presented them with our vision, the National Energy Strategy, which we managed to adopt in the recent Government after 17 years, and practically the vision for a Romania with secure, accessible, and competitive energy in terms of price and as clean as possible," Burduja stated at the end of the hearings.
15:25 - Tanczos Barna, the proposed Minister for the Ministry of Finance, received a favorable opinion.
Photo: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea
14:54 - Sorin Grindeanu, proposed to continue at the Ministry of Transport, received a favorable opinion, with 20 votes in favor and 16 against.
14:35 - Cseke Attila (UDMR) received the committees' approval for the position of Minister of Development. There were 29 votes "for," 16 votes "against," and no abstentions. He stated that the demographic issue is the most important for Romania, and the nursery program, which he extended in the previous mandate through the PNRR, needs to be expedited.
14:19 - Radu Marinescu received a favorable opinion for the position of Minister of Justice. A suggestive image from the hearing of the proposed Minister of Justice from PSD, alongside Gigi Becali.
14:11 - Daniel David, proposed for the Ministry of Education, received a favorable opinion, with 36 votes in favor, 11 against, and six abstentions.
13:56 - Florin Barbu, the proposed Minister of Agriculture, received a favorable opinion, with 26 votes "for," 14 votes "against," and no abstentions.
13:00 - The hearings in the parliamentary committees have begun. The first to enter were Florin Barbu (PSD), proposed again for Agriculture, and Daniel David (rector of UBB), proposed by PNL for Education.
Next in line are Attila Cseke, the proposal for the Ministry of Development, Sorin Grindeanu for the Ministry of Transport, and Sebastian Burduja for the Ministry of Energy.
12:45 - According to the approved schedule by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the committee hearings begin at 1:00 PM and will end around 4:30 PM. And the plenary session for the Government vote starts at 5 PM.
The composition of the new Ciolacu Government is:
- Minister of Internal Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister - Cătălin Predoiu (PNL) - remains in office
- Minister of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister - Tanczos Barna (UDMR) - new
- Deputy Prime Minister without portfolio - Marian Neacşu (PSD)
- Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration - Cseke Attila (UDMR) - new
- Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism - Bogdan Ivan (PSD) - remains in office, even taking over the Economy
- Minister of Transport and Infrastructure - Sorin Grindeanu (PSD) - remains in office
- Minister of Justice - Radu Marinescu (PSD) - the only new member from PSD
- Minister of National Defense - Angel Tîlvăr (PSD)
- Minister of Education and Research - Daniel David (PNL) - new
- Minister of Culture - Natalia Intotero (PSD) - moved from the Ministry of Family, which is dissolved
- Minister of Foreign Affairs - Emil Hurezeanu (PNL) - new
- Minister of Investments and European Projects - Marcel Boloş (PNL) - moved from Finance
- Minister of Health - Alexandru Rafila (PSD) - remains in office
- Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Florin Barbu (PSD) - remains in office
- Minister of Energy - Sebastian Burduja (PNL) - remains in office
- Minister of Environment - Mircea Fechet (PNL) - remains in office
- Minister of Labor - Simona Bucura Oprescu (PSD) - remains in office
12:23 - USR will not vote for the Ciolacu 2 Government, said Ionuț Moșteanu. When asked if there is any chance for his party to support Crin Antonescu in the presidential elections, Moșteanu also replied, "at this moment, no."
11:12 - President Klaus Iohannis officially appointed Marcel Ciolacu as Prime Minister.
"I think we all learned from past mistakes. I hope we find the best solutions for the times ahead. I am aware that it will not be an easy mandate," said Ciolacu from Cotroceni.
10:42 - Liberal Ilie Bolojan has become the President of the Senate, after receiving 70 votes. Mircea Chelaru was voted by 29 senators, and Cosmina Nadia Cerva (SOS) - 14 votes.
In his new position, Bolojan promised "laws that solve problems, laws that create a good context for Romanians, for entrepreneurs to develop, and our country to have a good direction in the coming years."
10:25 - The new President of the Chamber of Deputies is Şerban Ciprian Constantin (PSD), elected with 195 "for" votes and 86 "against" votes. Romania proposed MP Dumitru Coarnă for this position, who was voted with 86 "for" votes and 195 "against" votes.
"Thank you for the trust placed in me and I want to assure you that you will find a partner in me, regardless of the party you belong to," said Şerban.
9:41 - UDMR President, Kelemen Hunor, stated that, after the holidays, the biggest challenge is to have a well-constructed budget, a balanced budget for 2025, and to organize the presidential elections as soon as possible, if possible before Easter.
9:30 - The governance program of the PSD-PNL-UDMR-minorities coalition provides for an efficiency audit for each central authority, regional institutions, and companies, which will form the basis for proposals for dismantling/merging as well as fiscal-budget consolidation over 7 years, maintaining the flat tax rate for fiscal predictability, and reducing labor taxes and duties.
9:15 - Ilie Bolojan specified that Crin Antonescu will be the coalition's candidate for the presidential elections.
"PNL has signed this coalition protocol so that our country can have a stable government in a difficult period, in such a way that we can take measures to keep budgetary expenses within normal limits, to make reforms, and to create conditions for development in our country.
One of the provisions of this protocol is the designation of a single candidate for the position of President of Romania. We have agreed by consensus that this candidate will be Mr. Crin Antonescu, with each political party designating the candidate and approving this candidacy within their internal bodies," stated the PNL leader.
9:10 - The coalition's founding protocol was signed at the Parliament.
Marcel Ciolacu stated that at this moment there is a political agreement that precedes a governing coalition, and each of the signatories understood the signal from the elections. The PSD President pointed out that it will not be an easy mandate for the future government, but the Romanian people's expectation is also for reforms, transparency, reducing budgetary expenses, and, last but not least, the business environment's expectation is for predictability.
- Surprise portfolio: UDMR takes over the Ministry of Finance and says it will manage the country's money responsibly and rationally
- Bolojan, asked if Marcel Ciolacu is the best choice for Prime Minister: I don't think you're interested in the spectacle, but in stability
- Marcel Ciolacu, nervously responds after being asked if he knows that the proposed Minister of Justice defended a controversial businessman (Video)