Nicușor Dan would like to appoint a new prime minister this week / What would be the deadline for the nomination

President Nicușor Dan will hold further consultations with the political parties at Cotroceni Palace this week and, although he had wanted to nominate the prime minister this week as well, the nomination deadline could be extended until the end of next week at the latest, according to political sources. The timetable aims for the final vote on the investiture of the new Government to take place before Standard & Poor’s agency’s decision on Romania’s sovereign credit rating.

The S&P report is expected on October 2. The agency’s experts are scheduled to arrive in Romania on September 24 for discussions with Romanian officials, after which they will decide whether to maintain the current rating or change it.

So far, the parties have put forward two options for the position of prime minister: Sorin Grindeanu, backed by the PSD, and Siegfried Mureșan, backed by the PNL, USR, and UDMR. Alexandru Nazare, the current Finance Minister, Luca Niculescu, and Eugen Tomac are also under discussion. Iulia Stanciu’s name has also been mentioned, but she denied having held discussions about the position.

Romania has so far avoided being downgraded to the “Junk” category. The Moody’s and Fitch agencies have maintained the country’s rating in the investment-grade category.