Romanian Party Leaders Fail to Agree on New Prime Minister

President Nicușor Dan convened leaders from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on July 13. The meeting sought to resolve a political crisis following the May 5 dismissal of the Ilie Bolojan government, which occurred after the PSD voted with the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR).

Negotiations ended in deadlock as parties remained split into three roughly equal blocs. The PNL, USR, and UDMR proposed Siegfried Mureșan for prime minister, while the PSD backed Sorin Grindeanu. Grindeanu attributed the failure to restrictions placed by the PNL and USR, noting that the USR specifically rejected a technocratic government solution.

Dominic Fritz, leader of the USR, called for a courageous government that prioritizes citizens over privileged interests. He argued that if a parliamentary majority cannot be established to support such an executive, the decision should be left to the Romanian public through new elections. Fritz further accused the PSD and AUR of attacking USR ministers to protect their own interests.