Romanian Ruling Party Hints at Waning Support for Ousted Premier

(Bloomberg) -- Romania’s ruling Liberal Party signaled it may not insist on acting Prime Minister Florin Citu being nominated again to lead the government following his ouster this week in a no-confidence vote.

In an abrupt change of tone, the party said Friday that it won’t propose a candidate for premier during consultations next week with President Klaus Iohannis because “there’s currently no parliamentary majority” to move toward forming a cabinet. 

Party leaders had less than a day earlier unanimously decided to continue backing Citu, despite demands from their former coalition allies to nominate someone else so they can work resume together and end months of political friction.

“The party’s executive leadership considers that, in order to solve the political crisis, it’s best for the party to refrain from making a proposal for prime minister on Monday,” the Liberals said, while noting that party leader Citu remains their default pick.

Even with the pandemic raging and investors ditching domestic debt, Iohannis has indicated that talks over a new government could drag on beyond next week. The yield on the government’s five-year local bond jumped to its highest level since the pandemic erupted on Friday, while the leu remains near a record low against the euro.

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