Crin Antonescu, on the nomination of Luca Niculescu: “Another bizarre and unfortunate decision by Mr. Nicușor Dan”

Former presidential candidate Crin Antonescu criticized the appointment of Luca Niculescu to the position of prime minister, considering President Nicușor Dan’s decision “bizarre,” “unfortunate,” and politically irrelevant. The statements were made after the nomination was announced, amid the political crisis and the failure of previous attempts to form a government.

Antonescu stated that Luca Niculescu has a more limited connection to the political world, political maneuvering, and the mechanisms of government than Eugen Tomac, who had previously been appointed to the same position. The former candidate questioned the designated prime minister’s ability to handle the responsibilities and stakes of the office.

In his view, if the government proposed by Niculescu is invested, Romania will have a fragile government without a real leader. If it is rejected, the country would enter a new stage of the political crisis, through the repetition of unsuccessful nominations.

Luca Niculescu is the fourth person appointed by Nicușor Dan to the position of prime minister, after Eugen Tomac, Adrian Veștea, and Siegfried Mureșan. The government proposed by Mureșan was rejected by Parliament, receiving 182 votes in favor, compared with the 233 required.

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