Ilie Bolojan Appointed Prime Minister of Romania

On Friday, 20 June, Romanian President Nicusor Dan appointed Ilie Bolojan, leader of the National Liberal Party, as prime minister. This was announced at a press conference held at the Cotroceni Palace, according to ziua.md. The appointment followed several days of intense negotiations between the president and party leaders, accompanied by disagreements over raising the VAT rate from 19% to 21%. Bolojan agreed to accept the mandate only on condition that strict fiscal measures were implemented, while Dan opposed raising consumption taxes, citing pre-election promises. This is the first official appointment of a candidate for prime minister made by Nicusor Dan since he took office as president. It comes amid a protracted political crisis that has left Romania under the control of a caretaker government for more than a month and a half.