After election victory

Romania’s prime minister about to resign?

Marcel Ciolacu's Social Democrats could also be in the next Romanian government. Under these circumstances, will the incumbent head of government return to the party leadership after all?(Bild: APA/AP)

Romania's head of government Marcel Ciolacu only came third in the presidential election on November 24 and announced his resignation. After the victory of his Social Democrats in the parliamentary elections on Sunday, the world apparently looks very different again.

The PSD remains the strongest force in the country with 22.52 percent, as the central electoral authority in Bucharest announced on Monday after counting around 98 percent of the votes. The extreme right-wing party AUR achieved 17.76 percent and finished in second place. Two other extreme right-wing parties also made it into parliament: SOS Romania with around seven percent and POT with almost six percent. They are even further to the right than AUR.

AUR leader George Simion secured second place for his right-wing party.(Bild: APA/AFP/Daniel MIHAILESCU)

Social Democrats want to lead the government
Head of government Ciolacu said in a first reaction that the voters had proven at the ballot box that Romania's democracy was solid, that the PSD had also understood the voters' warning and was well aware of its responsibility towards the country. Ciolacu, who had announced his intention to resign from the PSD presidency immediately after his defeat in the presidential election, also announced that his party would claim the mandate to form a government.

According to media reports citing party insiders, the PSD leader is now considering resigning in view of his party's victory in the parliamentary elections - an announcement to this effect could be made on Monday afternoon.

Three far-right parties achieve over 32 percent
The leader of the small far-right party SOS, Diana Sosoaca, also announced on Monday night that she would claim the government mandate - she is calling on all sovereignist forces that have made it into parliament to form a minority government together, said Sosoaca. In fact, the three far-right parties should ultimately achieve more than 32 percent together thanks to the still to be counted votes of some of the expatriate Romanians in parliament.

However, the three parties are completely at odds - both SOS and POT are splinter parties founded by renegade ex-AUR parliamentarians who are at loggerheads with the current AUR leadership. Accordingly, AUR leader George Simion did not even respond to Sosoaca's demand and stated that his party, although in second place, did not intend to claim the mandate to form a government.

High tension ahead of constitutional court ruling
A far-right head of state could possibly also be given the task of forming a government if the surprise winner of the first round, Calin Georgescu, also wins the run-off. The Constitutional Court in Bucharest will decide today, Monday, whether and when the second round of voting will take place, as the first round of voting on November 24 was contested.

Calin Georgescu(Bild: Associated Press)

Last week, the Constitutional Court ordered a recount of all ballot papers from the first round of the presidential election after a losing candidate contested it. Once the new count results have been presented, the court will decide whether to recognize or annul the first round of voting.