Percorso:ANSA > Nuova Europa > Romania > Romania designates prime minister to head new coalition

Romania designates prime minister to head new coalition

President Iohannis designated liberal economist Florin Citu

22 December, 23:11
(ANSA-AFP) - BUCHAREST, DEC 23 - Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday designated a liberal economist, Florin Citu, as the country's new prime minister, a day after three centre-right pro-European parties agreed to form a coalition to govern for the next four years. "A centre-right coalition was formalised... and I decided to designate Florin Citu as prime minister", Iohannis said during a televised address. Citu, a 48-year-old US-educated banker, has served as finance minister for the past year. He will now have to ask for the parliament's vote of confidence, expected to be held late on Wednesday. If his appointment is approved by MPs, Citu's liberal party will govern alongside newly formed USR-PLUS party and UDMR, the party representing the country's Hungarian minority, who agreed to form a coalition following the general election on December 6.

The three centre-right parties hold a combined 244 seats in the 465-seat parliament. Prior to entering politics, Citu worked for the Romanian division of Dutch bank ING and for the New Zealand central bank. "Romania is going through a double crisis, health and economic. The task of my government will be to overcome the health crisis with as low costs as possible and to take care of the economy," said Citu, speaking alongside Iohannis. His government will have to draw up the country's 2021 budget, organise the vaccination of the population against the coronavirus and reform an economy badly hit by the pandemic. The European Union on Monday gave the green light for inoculations with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to begin in all 27 EU nations after Christmas. Romania said it will start vaccination on December 27, beginning with medical staff in 10 hospitals across the country. (ANSA-AFP).

© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved