Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on Monday, a day after AUR party leader George Simion secured a first-round victory in the re-run of Romania’s presidential election.
Ciolacu formally submitted his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan on Monday evening. In response, Bolojan appointed Liberal coalition partner Cătălin Predoiu as caretaker prime minister on Tuesday, who will lead the government until a new cabinet is formed. Bolojan has served as interim president since February, following the annulment of the 2024 presidential vote.
Ciolacu’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) had been part of a three-party coalition with the centrist Liberals and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR. The coalition had aimed to present a joint presidential candidate and maintain a parliamentary majority. PSD’s candidate, Crin Antonescu, finished third in Sunday’s pivotal election.
In the wake of the results, PSD ministers announced they would step down alongside Ciolacu, citing criticism over their inability to effectively support Antonescu’s campaign.
“I’ve seen the vote from yesterday, and that tells us the current coalition no longer has legitimacy in this form,” Ciolacu stated Monday evening. “Rather than let the future president replace me, I decided to resign myself.”
Ciolacu had himself run in last year’s annulled presidential election, finishing third with under 20% of the vote. Although he initially offered to resign at the time, he ultimately stayed in power after receiving a vote of confidence. His PSD party later won the most seats in the 2024 parliamentary election on December 1, leading to his reappointment as Prime Minister.
Now, with George Simion receiving 40.5% of the vote in the first round of the 2025 presidential election, the AUR leader will face Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan—who garnered 20.9%—in a runoff scheduled for May 18.
Simion’s AUR party, known for its stance on “family, nation, faith, and freedom,” first gained traction in the 2020 parliamentary elections and has since doubled its support.
