Victor Ponta says he came close to receiving a ministry in the Niculescu Government, but Sorin Grindeanu opposed it

Gabriel Dumitrache

15 October 2026, 12:03

Politics

Inquam Photos / Pană Tudor

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Victor Ponta stated on Thursday, October 15, that he had been considered for a ministerial position in the Government being prepared by designated Prime Minister Luca Niculescu, but negotiations with PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu did not materialize. The former prime minister claims that Grindeanu subsequently changed his decision, and he is no longer considering participating in the future Government.

“It was proposed to me. At one point, I had a discussion with Mr. Grindeanu. He, naturally, changed his mind. He wanted only PSD, which is his right,” Ponta told Digi24.

According to information published earlier, the former prime minister was being considered for the Ministry of Economy or the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, without specifying which portfolio would have been offered to him.

The statements were made in the context of negotiations to form the Niculescu Cabinet. PSD is trying to obtain several portfolios, and the two ministries are on the list of institutions under discussion.

Victor Ponta announced on Monday that the United for Romania parliamentary group would support the Niculescu Government in the vote, without making its support conditional on obtaining positions. The group’s leader, Răzvan Chiriță, had stated that Ponta could be included in the government team if the designated prime minister considered his support useful.

Luca Niculescu is to present Parliament with the list of ministers and the governing program. The investiture vote could take place on Friday, October 16.

Context: negotiations for the formation of the Niculescu Cabinet have stalled discussions on portfolios, while the PSD requested compatibility with the program

Before Victor Ponta’s statement, political negotiations for the formation of the Government led by Luca Niculescu were in full swing, with an emphasis on the distribution of portfolios. The PSD announced that it would negotiate with the designated prime minister and would not grant votes “in blank,” requesting to verify whether the proposed direction was compatible with the party’s governing program.

In this context, Sorin Grindeanu criticized the nomination of Luca Niculescu and warned that, if policies associated with austerity were continued, the alternative could be the organization of snap elections. At the same time, Ponta stated that, in discussions at Cotroceni Palace, he would be willing to speak with the parliamentary groups, depending on the designation, while the investiture vote was to depend on political compatibility and the program presented.