Grindeanu, Tomac or Nazare? Who Could Become Prime Minister After Four Months of Deadlock

After four months of deadlock, Romania's negotiations for a new government have returned to the same question: who should become prime minister? President Nicușor Dan favors Eugen Tomac. The PSD leadership's hard core is pushing its leader, Sorin Grindeanu, while the PNL would not reject the appointment of Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare.

Political scientist George Jiglău says PSD made “a very big strategic mistake” by helping bring down the Bolojan government. Yet the party has paradoxically emerged as the best-positioned force to return to power. The unresolved issue is whether PSD can turn that position into a functioning majority or become dependent again on votes from lawmakers described as “sovereigntists.”

Meeting in Sinaia, PSD leaders decided to take two options to consultations with President Dan. The first is a minority government led by Grindeanu. The party says it has enough votes through a combination of PSD lawmakers, UDMR, representatives of national minorities and support from the sovereignist camp, potentially joined by PNL lawmakers from the faction described as “rebels.”

The second option is a technocratic prime minister, but only if the government remains political and PSD takes part. According to information cited by Adevărul, Tomac, a member of the European Parliament and an honorary adviser to Dan, is the favored candidate in that scenario. PNL and USR have said they will not vote for an executive that includes PSD ministers, making UDMR essential to any majority and relations with sovereignist lawmakers particularly sensitive.

Jiglău says PSD held a more comfortable position before the no-confidence motion. It could distance itself from Bolojan's unpopular measures while retaining important ministries and government resources. Instead, PSD left the coalition after months of internal criticism and voted with AUR to topple the government. The negotiations now leave the party trying to convert the political advantage created by that move into a stable governing arrangement.

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a very big strategic mistake