Marcel Ciolacu steps down after his party’s candidate is eliminated, leaving Romania’s pro-Western coalition on the brink ahead of a decisive run-off.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on Monday, just one day after a sweeping victory by far-right leader George Simion in the first round of a presidential election re-run sent shockwaves through the country’s political establishment.
Ciolacu, whose Social Democratic Party had anchored Romania’s pro-Western coalition, announced the party’s withdrawal from the government, effectively dissolving the centrist alliance. Ministers will remain in a caretaker capacity until a new parliamentary majority emerges following the May 18 run-off.
“This coalition is no longer legitimate,” Ciolacu said following a party meeting. “The next president was going to replace me anyway.”
Sunday’s vote reshaped Romania’s political landscape. Simion, a hard-right nationalist and vocal eurosceptic, captured around 41 percent of the vote, far outpacing other contenders. He will face Nicușor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, in a final round that is now viewed as a referendum on Romania’s future in Europe.
The governing coalition, comprised of Ciolacu’s Social Democrats, the centrist Liberals, and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, was formed to insulate the country from the rising influence of the far right. Though the Social Democrats secured the most seats in last December’s parliamentary elections, Simion’s Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), along with two smaller far-right factions, amassed more than a third of the legislature—becoming a potent political force.
Simion’s ascent has alarmed European officials and NATO allies. Analysts warn that a victory could unravel Romania’s pro-European stance, deter foreign investment, and weaken its role as a strategic hub for NATO operations in support of Ukraine.
Romania is currently governed by an interim president until the May 18 vote. The country faces mounting fiscal challenges, including the European Union’s largest budget deficit and a looming threat of a sovereign credit downgrade if fiscal reforms are not enacted swiftly.
A Simion presidency would also add momentum to the bloc of eurosceptic leaders already in power in Hungary and Slovakia, complicating the European Union’s efforts to maintain unity as it prepares for a potential second Trump administration.
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