BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, a day after the governing coalition’s joint candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the European Union country’s critical presidential election rerun.
The coalition’s candidate, Crin Antonescu, finished third in Sunday’s first round vote, putting him narrowly behind Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, and far behind hard-right nationalist George Simion — who decisively took first place.
“Rather than let the future president replace me, I decided to resign myself,” Ciolacu, who came third in last year’s annulled presidential election, told reporters after a meeting at the headquarters of his Social Democratic Party, or PSD.
Before the meeting Monday, Ciolacu stated that one of the conditions of forming the coalition last December was to field a common candidate to win the presidency. “After seeing the vote of the Romanian people and the fact that this coalition did not meet its objectives,” the coalition now “lacks any credibility,” he said.
An interim prime minister will be selected from the current Cabinet of ministers and appointed by interim President Ilie Bolojan.
Sunday’s rerun underscored strong anti-establishment sentiment among Romanians and signaled a seismic power shift away from the traditional mainstream parties. It also renewed the protracted political turmoil that has gripped the EU and NATO member country.
The ballot took place months after a top court annulled the previous race following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied. That decision plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
The coalition was formed in December after the failed presidential election. It is made up of the leftist PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities.
