Romanian president nominates former army general as premier

Romania’s president has nominated a former army general to be prime minister in the latest attempt to end a political crisis amid a coronavirus surge that is stretching the country’s health care system to capacity

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romania’s president on Thursday nominated a former army general to be prime minister in the latest effort to end a political crisis amid a coronavirus surge that is stretching the country’s health care system to capacity.

After holding consultations with Romania’s parliamentary parties, President Klaus Iohannis asked Nicolae Ciuca of the National Liberal Party to try to form a new government. Ciuca, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, currently serves as the caretaker defense minister.

Iohannis said a “real solution is needed, a government that starts solving the problems that concern Romanians.”

“We have a pandemic crisis, a dramatic situation in hospitals, winter is knocking, energy prices are increasing,” Iohannis said. “Even if we now have solutions, we must urgently have a government with full powers to put these solutions into practice.”