Romanian PM resigns after far-right victory in first round of presidential vote

Eurosceptic George Simion leads with 41%, to face centrist Nicusor Dan in May 18 run-off; Antonescu comes third


REUTERS May 05, 2025
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu speaks to the media, during the first round of the presidential election, in Bucharest, Romania, May 4, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS

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Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on Monday, a day after a far-right opposition leader won the first round of the presidential election re-run and his own candidate crashed out of the race.

Ciolacu said his centre-left Socialists would withdraw from the pro-Western coalition - effectively ending it - while cabinet ministers will stay on in an interim capacity until a new majority emerges after the presidential run-off.

Hard-right eurosceptic George Simion decisively swept the ballot on Sunday, with some 41% of votes, and will face Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, an independent centrist, in a May 18 run-off. Coalition candidate Crin Antonescu came third.

Although Ciolacu's leftist Social Democrats (PSD) won the most seats in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election, Simion's AUR and two other far-right groupings, one with overt pro-Russian sympathies, won more than a third of the seats to become a clear political force.

The Social Democrats had formed a coalition government with the centrist Liberals and ethnic Hungarian UDMR to help keep the European Union and NATO state on a pro-Western course. A governing majority that cordons off the far right in the legislature cannot be formed without it.

"This coalition is no longer legitimate," Ciolacu told reporters after a party meeting. "The next president was going to replace me anyway, that's what I've read."

Romania already has an interim president until the May 18 run-off. The country has the EU's largest budget deficit and risks a ratings downgrade to below investment level unless it enforces a decisive fiscal correction.

A Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment and destabilise NATO's eastern flank, where Bucharest plays a key role in providing logistical support to Ukraine as it fights a three-year-old Russian invasion, political observers say.

It would also expand a cohort of eurosceptic leaders in the European Union that already includes the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers at a time when Europe is struggling to formulate its response to US President Donald Trump.

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