Romania to start prime minister nomination calendar after September 1, Grindeanu says

Procedures set for ordinary session

Social Democratic Party leader and Chamber of Deputies President Sorin Grindeanu announced on Monday, 24 August 2026, that Romania will begin the official procedures to nominate a prime minister after 1 September. Speaking at the Parliament building in Bucharest, Grindeanu stated that the appointment calendar will open alongside the start of the ordinary parliamentary session. The announcement comes as the country seeks to establish a cabinet with full executive powers to replace the current caretaker administration. Grindeanu affirmed that his main responsibility as the leader of the largest political force in Parliament is to assemble a functional legislative majority.

Recovery plan legislation in plenary

Before entering the autumn ordinary session, the Chamber of Deputies plans to hold an extraordinary plenary sitting to address urgent commitments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Lawmakers are scheduled to debate a draft law on hydrogen received from the Senate, which represents a mandatory PNRR milestone. The legislature also awaits the formal transmission of the PNRR closure bill from the government to allow final parliamentary consideration. Grindeanu noted that concluding these extraordinary sessions in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate remains the immediate priority before opening the formal nomination cycle.

Coalition options and parliamentary friction

Discussions surrounding the shape of a future majority have intensified following legislative disputes on Monday over education and integrity regulations. Grindeanu criticized an ad-hoc voting alignment between the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), arguing their shared opposition on both bills threatened the disbursement of 770 million euros in European funds. While a compromise amendment on transparency and advertising was eventually adopted in committee with cross-party backing, Grindeanu indicated that the plenary votes rule out any governing partnership between his party and USR.

It is very difficult for me to believe that any majority containing PSD and USR could still exist.

Interim cabinet demands accelerated handover

The urgency to establish a new executive follows the dismissal of the government through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated in the preceding week that the formation of a permanent cabinet must accelerate because the current executive operates with limited constitutional authority. Bolojan rejected the prospect of continued collaboration with the Social Democrats, accusing them of undermining reforms and failing to fulfill commitments made in the previous coalition agreement. He argued that PSD acted as an obstacle during governance by pulling the handbrake on key initiatives.

Those who did not respect their agreements, those who did not respect the governance program, were the PSD.

Cross-party consultations ahead

When asked about potential support from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), ethnic minority parliamentary groups, or independent figures, Grindeanu reiterated his focus on testing parliamentary support after 1 September. He also refrained from commenting on potential cooperation with factions within the National Liberal Party (PNL) who might favor entering government, stating that internal decisions within other parties are not his responsibility. The political negotiations are scheduled to proceed once the regular parliamentary calendar begins next week.