Romania's Social Democrats join Niculescu government with 11 ministers
The PSD agreed to join the government of prime minister-designate Luca Niculescu. The cabinet list and program are due in parliament on Thursday, where 233 votes are needed.
Archive image · Photo: gov.ro (Romanian Government) / Wikimedia Commons, Attribution (cropped and resized)
Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD) decided on Wednesday to join the government of Prime Minister-designate Luca Niculescu. The party's National Council approved its full list of ministers, giving the PSD 11 of 17 portfolios, including interior, justice, defense, economy and health. Marian Neacșu is slated to become deputy prime minister and interior minister. Support for the confidence vote passed unanimously, and the party will review after six months whether to stay in government.
The remaining six ministries, including finance, foreign affairs, education, culture, energy and a new Ministry of Communications and Artificial Intelligence, are to be run by technocrats. PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu warned that keeping the caretaker government of Ilie Bolojan in place would cost the budget at least 60 billion lei, roughly 3% of gross domestic product.
Niculescu is due to submit his governing program and cabinet list to parliament on Thursday. Confirmation requires at least 233 votes. The Liberal PNL and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR plan to back the government without joining it, Nine O'Clock reported. PNL lawmaker in the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan, however, pledged "total opposition" to the Social Democrats.