President Nicuşor Dan signed the decree nominating Luca Niculescu for the position of prime minister

President Nicușor Dan signed on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the decree appointing Luca-Alexandru Niculescu as candidate for the position of prime minister. The announcement was made by the Presidential Administration following consultations with the parliamentary parties and political formations held at Cotroceni Palace.

Niculescu has ten days to prepare the governing program and the list of ministers, which must be submitted to Parliament. Subsequently, the candidate for prime minister will have to obtain the investiture vote to form the new Government. The ten days expire on Thursday, October 15.

This is the fourth nomination made by Nicușor Dan for the position of prime minister. The president justified his choice of Luca Niculescu by stating that he would have the best chances of securing a parliamentary majority, amid the prolonged political uncertainty and the need to quickly form an Executive.

Luca Niculescu is a diplomat and secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2022, he has also served as national coordinator of Romania’s accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Between 2016 and 2022, he was Romania’s ambassador to France, Monaco, and Andorra. Previously, he worked for several years as a journalist.