Romanian parliament elects Niculescu prime minister after five-month impasse

Derek Foss · 2026-10-20T16:20:35.759Z

Niculescu's minority setup looks shaky for slashing that deficit, but ending the impasse is a start if they focus on real reforms.

Romanian parliament elects Niculescu prime minister after five-month impasse — Photo: gov.ro (Romanian Government) / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution)

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Romania's parliament elected independent diplomat Luca Niculescu prime minister on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. He won 280 votes in favor, above the 233 required. AP and DPA reported 58 votes against; Balkan Insight reported 55. Niculescu, 55, was nominated by President Nicușor Dan on October 5—the fourth nomination since Ilie Bolojan fell to a no-confidence vote on May 5. Eugen Tomac withdrew on June 6 before a vote; parliament rejected Adrian Vestea's programme weeks later; Siegfried Mureșan failed to secure support on September 30. Niculescu was ambassador to France from 2016 to 2022 and most recently a Foreign Ministry state secretary coordinating OECD accession. Ahead of the vote he said, "Romania has no more time to lose," pledging immediate work on budget revisions, energy security, and cutting public-sector waste. He also said: "I am an independent PM, but beyond our different political choices … we share a common responsibility for the future, which we have a duty to build together." Outlets disagree on cabinet makeup: Yahoo/DPA report 12 Social Democrat ministers and six technocrats; Balkan Insight reports 11 from the PSD and seven independents.