The independent European Luca Niculescu, invested as prime minister of Romania

The Europeanist Niculescu, invested as Prime Minister of Romania October 20, 2026 The Europeanist Luca Niculescu, without party affiliation, was invested this Tuesday (10.20.2026) as Prime Minister of Romania, a position he will assume leading a Government with twelve Social Democratic Party PSD ministers and six independents, in place of the current interim Executive and ending nearly six months of institutional crisis. The Parliament of Romania elected the independent diplomat as prime minister with 280 votes in favor and 58 against, according to Romanian media. A minimum of 233 votes was required. The parliamentary groups of the center-left and center-right provided the necessary majority. The 92 deputies of the far-right party AUR left the room after labeling the new Executive a "puppet government," while the ultranationalists of SOS Romania (13 seats) showed their rejection with placards demanding early elections. Third attempt to succeed Bolojan The election of Niculescu, aged 55, allows Romania to have a fully operational government again after more than five months. His predecessor, Ilie Bolojan (of the National Liberal Party, PNL, center-right), was dismissed in May by a no-confidence motion and had remained in office only in an interim capacity since then. Today's vote was the fourth attempt to elect a successor for Bolojan. The three previous candidates failed to obtain the support of Parliament or withdrew their candidacy earlier. Bolojan was considered a determined reformer who introduced austerity measures to reduce Romania's high budget deficit. Although these measures were unpopular domestically, they received the support of the European Union and other international actors. "We are coming out of six months of crisis. Starting tonight we will celebrate the first cabinet meeting. The priorities are known, Romania cannot wait any longer," declared the new prime minister, alluding to the urgency of reducing the fiscal deficit, which in 2025 stood at 7.9% of GDP, the highest in the European Union (EU). This is added to the need to make significant defense investments to strengthen the eastern flank of NATO, to which it belongs, in times of tension due to air incursions. Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you trust this site for reliable information, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google: click here and check the box or press the DW.com button to always see our verified news according to your preferences. lgc (dpa, efe)