Grindeanu: I expected to be designated on Thursday. I thought they would try with the PSD as well

Sorin Grindeanu, the PSD president, stated on Friday, September 25, during a press conference held in Caraş-Severin, that he expected Nicuşor Dan to nominate him for the position of prime minister.

„Here, with you, I can be honest and tell you that I expected to be designated on Thursday. It all came as a surprise to me. That’s life,” declared Sorin Grindeanu from Caraş-Severin.

PSD Chief: I thought they would try with the PSD as well

Grindeanu also said that, following the designation of the Liberal Adrian Veştea, the next choice should have been a Social Democrat. However, the nomination turned out to be from the right-wing parties once again. Nicuşor Dan chose Siegfried Mureşan to head the executive, to the surprise of the PSD leader. „Since Nicuşor Dan became president, it has gone like this: Ilie Bolojan—from the right, from the party that finished third. Then came Eugen Tomac—from the right; then Veştea—from the right; and I thought perhaps he might also try the party that won the elections, the PSD,” explains the PSD president.

Mureşan is President Nicuşor Dan’s third nominee. The announcement was made by the head of state on September 17. It was a first in Romanian politics for the president not to have the Prime Minister-designate alongside him during the announcement.

„If I am the one nominated for Prime Minister, I will assess the situation and ultimately see if I can secure a majority—a majority based on European values, a transparent majority, one that ensures coherent, stable governance capable of bringing about the change in direction I mentioned earlier. Otherwise, you might scrape together a vote of convenience to pass a government, but it would be a weak government—one that could fall within two or three days due to a no-confidence motion. And whoever held that position of future Prime Minister would be a weak Prime Minister,” Grindeanu added. „I would like to see a collaboration with the PNL—the conservative, right-wing faction.”

Previously, the head of state had successively nominated Eugen Tomac—his presidential advisor, who failed to secure the backing of pro-Western parties and withdrew before the investiture vote—and Adrian Veştea, a PNL vice-president. Veştea’s nomination caused a rift within the PNL; the majority of Liberal lawmakers did not support him, and he was rejected in the parliamentary vote.