December 10 (SeeNews) - Romania's president Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that he is inviting all parties that entered parliament after last week's inconclusive general election to consultations on the designation of a new prime minister on December 14.
The president will hold talks with five parties and representatives of national minorities starting 0800 CET on Monday according to a notice posted on the president's administration website.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD), which won the elections by a slim margin but fell short of outright majority, will nominate Alexandru Rafila, MP and World Health Organization representative for Romania for prime minister, chairman Marcel Ciolacu said in a televised statement on Tuesday.
PSD won 28.9% of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies and 29.32% of the ballots for the Senate in Sunday's general election, according to final results announced by the central electoral commission.
Right-wing National Liberal Party, PNL, will nominate finance minister Florin Citu for prime minister, its leader and former prime minister Ludovic Orban said in a televised statement on Wednesday evening. PNL won 25.19% of the votes for members of the Chamber of Deputies and 25.58% of the votes for Senate seats.
On Monday, Iohannis appointed defence minister Nicolae Ionel Ciuca as interim prime minister to replace Orban who resigned in order to lead negotiations for building a centre-right parliamentary majority. The president said he favors the creation of a centre-right coalition government.
"Centre-right forces received more than 50% of all cast ballots. A new government will be formed with them at the core," Iohannis said in a statement broadcast by Digi 24.
The centre-right alliance formed by Save Romania Union (USR) and PLUS parties, which won 15.37% of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies and 15.86% for the Senate, will nominate former prime minister Dacian Ciolos for prime minister.
Right-wing nationalist party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) will nominate Calin Georgescu, a former UN rapporteur. AUR got 9.08% of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies and 9.17% for the Senate.
The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), which garnered 5.74% of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies and 5.89% of votes for the Senate, has not yet announced its nomination for prime minister. However, senator Cseke Attila said in an interview for RFI on Thursday that the party accepts PNL's nomination, Florin Citu.
Under Romania's constitution, the president must name a prime minister-designate from the political party which has won the majority of seats in parliament, or hold consultations with all parties represented in parliament, if no such majority was achieved. Both the prime minister and his cabinet must be approved by the newly elected MPs in a vote of confidence. The lawmakers can reject a proposed government line-up up to three times before the president decides to dissolve parliament and call new elections.
(1 euro=4.8692 lei)