Romania's President Nominates MEP Mureșan as Prime Minister

Romanian President Nicușor Dan has nominated European Parliament member Siegfried Mureșan as prime minister-designate, marking his third attempt to resolve a four-month political crisis that has left the country without a stable government. The nomination, announced on September 17, 2026, sets a high-stakes constitutional countdown for the veteran MEP to secure a parliamentary majority. Mureșan, a 44-year-old member of the centerright National Liberal Party (PNL) and vice-president of the European People's Party group, accepted the proposal immediately. He now has ten days to present a cabinet and governing programme to Parliament and win a confidence vote requiring 233 seats. The coalition supporting him, comprising the PNL, the centerright USR, and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, holds an estimated 169 to 190 seats, leaving a significant shortfall. The nomination comes after two previous attempts by President Dan failed. In June, independent nominee Eugen Tomac withdrew before a vote, and in July, Parliament rejected the cabinet proposed by Liberal politician Adrian Veștea.