Romania in chaos as prime minister resigns

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Monday he would resign, throwing the country into further turmoil after a hard-right candidate easily won the first round of the country’s presidential election.

An interim prime minister will be appointed Tuesday morning, local media reported, citing Romania’s presidential administration.

Ciolacu has been prime minister since 2023, leading the ruling center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD). PSD’s candidate for president, Crin Antonescu, came third in Sunday’s closely watched election.

The second round on May 18 will pit hard-right leader George Simion against independent Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, sidelining Romania’s establishment parties entirely.

Ciolacu himself ran for president in last year’s annulled election. His campaign was criticized for his use of luxury planes, and he placed third, with less than a fifth of the vote. He offered his resignation then but ultimately remained in his post.

In an interview with POLITICO before the election, Simion predicted that the prime minister would have to go if the establishment parties flopped again — and he has touted Călin Georgescu, the disqualified winner of last November’s cancelled election, for the role.