Nicușor Dan opens Cotroceni consultations to appoint prime minister after 135-day crisis

Cotroceni consultations schedule

President Nicușor Dan will hold consultations with Romanian parliamentary parties on Thursday, 17 September 2026, at Cotroceni Palace to designate a candidate for prime minister. The meetings will begin at 09:00 with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and will conclude at 14:00 with unaffiliated parliamentarians. Dan stated during an interview in Finland that he will not delay the nomination and intends to make his choice before departing for a trip to the United States. He will choose the formula with the highest probability of assembling a workable majority in parliament.

Competing prime ministerial bids

PSD plans to present party president Sorin Grindeanu as its prime ministerial nominee during the morning meeting. PSD vice-president Gabriel Zetea asserted that the party needs 23 additional votes from unaffiliated and smaller group lawmakers to reach the 233-seat threshold required for parliamentary approval, excluding PNL, USR, and AUR.

We believe that in Parliament we can form a majority of over 233 votes, without PNL, without USR, and without AUR.

Meanwhile, the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) support Member of the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan. PNL secretary general Robert Sighiartău indicated that PNL would accept a rotation mechanism with PSD, but ruled out backing an Alexandru Nazare cabinet that includes PSD ministers, pointing to the requirement to cut the budget deficit to 5% for 2027. Mureșan publicly stated that appointing Grindeanu would jeopardize European Union funding under European Commission conditionality rules.

Alternative candidates and party stances

Other parliamentary groups will present distinct options during the consultations. The 17-member United for Romania (UPR) parliamentary group announced it will propose former prime minister Victor Ponta, whom it also backed on 23 June 2026. UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor dismissed assertions that he sought the office of prime minister for himself, noting that his party has offered proposals spanning technocratic, minority, and business-led cabinets.

Romania needs a government with full powers. For months we have been proposing all kinds of options for political coalitions, minority governments, technocratic and transition governments, a prime minister from different parties, an independent from the National Bank, from the business sector.

PSD deputy Mădălin Borș stated that his party also remains open to a technocratic prime minister or a Grindeanu-led executive. He argued that a technocrat operating with a fragile majority would struggle to issue emergency ordinances and enact laws without structured party support.

Context of the four-month standoff

The consultations follow 135 days of political deadlock that began on 5 May 2026, when the cabinet led by Ilie Bolojan fell in a no-confidence vote backed by 281 PSD and AUR lawmakers. Bolojan has remained in office heading an interim administration with restricted constitutional powers. Dan previously named Eugen Tomac on 4 June 2026, who later withdrew his mandate, while a subsequent nomination of Adrian Veștea failed to secure the required parliamentary votes.

Obviously we cannot wait any longer and a nomination will follow.