Bucharest, Dec 24 (IANS): Romania's new government, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, was sworn in after securing a vote of confidence in Parliament.
The pro-European coalition government, comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), and the national minorities, ends a month of political uncertainty marked by the annulment of Presidential election results.
"I ask you to succeed for Romania and for Romanians. People expect solutions, stability, and a government that firmly maintains Romania's pro-European trajectory," President Klaus Iohannis said after the swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
Iohannis mentioned two major challenges for the new government -- preparing the 'complicated' 2025 budget and setting the electoral calendar for the Presidential election.
Earlier in the day, the coalition cabinet was validated with 240 votes in favour and 143 against at a joint plenary session of the 450-seat bicameral legislature, surpassing the 233 votes required for approval.
Despite the difficulties ahead, Ciolacu expressed confidence in his government's potential. "I trust all the members of this team. They are people with great experience and solid professional expertise," said Ciolacu, who also leads the PSD.
He emphasised the benefits of political stability, noting that Romania's borrowing rates on international markets had already begun to drop following the Parliamentary vote.
Ciolacu's cabinet consists of the prime minister, 16 ministers, and three deputy prime ministers -- one from PSD without portfolio, and two with portfolios from PNL and UDMR.
On December 23, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis officially appointed Marcel Ciolacu, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader and incumbent Prime Minister, to lead the country's new government.
On December 20, Romania's newly elected Parliament convened following the December 1 elections.
Ciolacu remained Prime Minister till the elections concluded and a new parliamentary majority was formed. He added that he would not run for any position in future PSD leadership elections.
Meanwhile, on August 24, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was re-elected as the chairman of the country's Social Democratic Party (PSD) and confirmed as the party's candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections.