On Thursday, President Klaus Iohannis proposed the 54-year-old ex-chief of staff and politician of the current ruling bourgeois party PNL to parliament for the office of prime minister.
At first it was unclear which parties would support Ciuca in parliament. Ciuca made a name for himself in particular from 2001 to 2004 as the commander of the Romanian missions in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside the US armed forces. He has long been the favorite of President Iohannis.
Romania has been in a serious leadership crisis since the collapse of the coalition between PNL and the small eco-liberal party USR. On Wednesday, an attempt by USR chairman Dacian Ciolos to get a majority in parliament for a government he led failed.
It will soon be decided whether Ciuca aims to restore the coalition with USR or at least seek parliamentary support from the social democratic opposition party PSD. PNL is also allied with the Hungarian party UDMR, but this is not enough for a majority in parliament.
At the moment, Prime Minister Florin Citu of the PNL is acting provisionally in Romania with limited powers. This causes concern in view of the dramatic corona emergency in the country. Two weeks ago, Parliament expressed its distrust in Citu.