Romanian coalition talks stall as PSD demands first turn in rotation deal

Romanian political parties are deadlocked over forming a new government after the collapse of the previous coalition. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) have put forward European Parliament member Siegfried Mureșan as a candidate for prime minister, proposing a rotating cabinet in which Mureșan would lead until April 2027.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) insists that any rotation agreement must give PSD the first turn to govern. Party president Sorin Grindeanu said he supports a rotation pact only if PSD leads initially, and rejected any collaboration with the hard‑right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). He warned, "I respect the AUR voters, but at this point we cannot speak of a collaboration of ... George Simion. Those who voted for AUR should realize who is keeping Ilie Bolojan in office. It is AUR and George Simion."

PNL’s Siegfried Mureșan also dismissed a PNL‑PSD coalition, stating, "We will not have a government in which PNL and PSD are together; this variant must be excluded. There will be no PNL‑PSD government." The stalemate leaves Romania without a full‑power cabinet as President Nicușor Dan seeks a parliamentary majority before making another prime‑minister nomination.