Romanian Prime Minister resigns after coalition colleague is stranding in the first round of presidential elections

The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party PSD steps up. He announced that on Monday. A day before, Crin Antonescu, the presidential candidate who had put the Pro-European coalition of the PSD and the center-right PNL forward, did too few votes (20 percent) to go on to the next round of the presidential elections.

According to Reuters news agency, Ciolacu said at the party office on Monday: « Instead of having me replaced by the future president, I decided to resign myself. » A minister from the current still sitting cabinet will be chosen as an interim prime minister.

The convincing winner of the first election round Sunday was George Simion, leader of the radical-right party Aur. With the slogan ‘Make Romania Great Again« The Trump fan managed to get 41 percent of the votes. 53 percent of the Romanians went to the polls.

The second election round is on May 18. Then Simion will compete against the pro-Western Nicusor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest. Then 21 percent of the votes got in the first election round.

Last November the result of the first presidential round was declared invalid for alleged Russian interference. The ultranationalist Calin Georgescu, an admirer of Putin and fascist leaders from the Romanian past, was excluded from the resit.

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