# Ciucă Cabinet

The Ciucă Cabinet (Romanian pronunciation:) was the 132nd government of Romania led by former Romanian Land Forces army general Nicolae Ciucă (PNL; also current PNL president) from 25 November 2021 to 12 June 2023.
The grand coalition forming the government, consisting of Social Democratic Party (PSD), National Liberal Party (PNL), and Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), is also referred to as the National Coalition for Romania (Romanian: Coaliția Națională pentru România, CNR). The Social Liberal Humanist Party also received lower-level positions in the government.
Since the cabinet's investment, Romania experienced a shift towards authoritarianism and illiberalism. Under Ciucă's premiership, Romania experienced democratic backsliding, with The Economist ranking it last in the European Union in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary. During Ciucă's premiership, the freedom of the press in Romania declined, according to World Press Freedom Index (from 75.09 in 2021 to 69.04 in 2023).

## Background and formation

On 1 September 2021, the PNL, then-prime minister Florin Cîțu and still incumbent president Klaus Iohannis triggered the 2021 Romanian political crisis by the sacking of former justice minister Stelian Ion, preceded by a scandal between the PNL and their former coalition partners, the progressive-liberal USR PLUS (from which Ion stemmed), on the so-called Anghel Saligny investment program (or "PNDL 3", as it is also known). The remaining USR ministers eventually resigned on their own, and the Cîțu Cabinet, which preceded the Ciucă Cabinet, was dismissed on 5 October through a motion of no confidence, with a record number of votes on behalf of USR, PSD, and AUR.
The prime minister candidate, who is designated by the president, has to request the investiture vote/vote of confidence from the legislature within 10 days from being appointed. On 11 October, President Iohannis designated Dacian Cioloș of the USR to form the next government, but his government was subsequently rejected by the parliament. Nicolae Ciucă of PNL was designated for the same position on 20 October, but eventually submitted his term. At that time, he was ordered by the PNL to convene negotiations only for a PNL-UDMR minority government, which is a form of government that was not accepted by a party other than PNL and UDMR.
The national-liberals resorted to negotiations with the largest party in the parliament, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the prospect of forming a majority government with full powers, but they quickly reached a deadlock. The PSD, who were the main opposition party against the cabinets formed around the PNL up to this point, wanted the office of Prime Minister, but the PNL refused to cede the office and strongly desired that the office be occupied by a PNL member, which happened with the re-designation of Nicolae Ciucă by President Iohannis on 22 November, one day after the negotiations ended.
The cabinet hearings took place on 24 November. The Ciucă Cabinet was sworn in on 25 November.

## Technological initiatives

The cabinet has shown support for some technological projects such as: nuclear energy by small modular nuclear reactors through a partnership with the US firm NuScale Power, electric vehicle development by a group of investors from Cluj and green energy projects. The cabinet also supports the Anghel Saligny investment program.

## Composition

The Ciucă Cabinet was a grand coalition government consisting of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). Some positions within the government are set to rotate between the PSD and the PNL, more specifically the prime minister, the secretary-general of the government, and the ministries of interior, justice, finance, and defense. The next shuffle was originally planned to take place by 1 June 2023, though this was delayed on 26 May following a general strike in the Romanian education system that began a few days earlier.
| Position | Minister | Party | Date sworn in | Left office | Home county |
| Prime Minister (Romanian: Prim-ministru) | Nicolae Ciucă | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 12 June 2023 | Dolj |
| Prime Minister (Romanian: Prim-ministru) | Cătălin Predoiu (acting) | PNL | 12 June 2023 | 15 June 2023 | Buzău |
| Deputy Prime Minister (Romanian: Viceprim-ministru) | Sorin Grindeanu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Caraș-Severin |
| Deputy Prime Minister (Romanian: Viceprim-ministru) | Kelemen Hunor | UDMR | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Harghita |
| Secretary-General of the Government (Romanian: Secretarul General al Guvernului) | Marian Neacșu | PSD | 7 December 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Ialomița |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs (Romanian: Ministrul Afacerilor Externe) | Bogdan Aurescu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Bucharest |
| Minister of Internal Affairs (Romanian: Ministrul Afacerilor Interne) | Lucian Bode | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Sălaj |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Romanian: Ministrul Agriculturii și Dezvoltării Rurale) | Adrian Chesnoiu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 23 June 2022 | Olt |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Romanian: Ministrul Agriculturii și Dezvoltării Rurale) | Sorin Grindeanu (acting) | PSD | 23 June 2022 | 8 July 2022 | Caraș-Severin |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Romanian: Ministrul Agriculturii și Dezvoltării Rurale) | Petre Daea | PSD | 8 July 2022 | 15 June 2023 | Mehedinți |
| Minister of National Defence (Romanian: Ministrul Apărării Naționale) | Vasile Dîncu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 24 October 2022 | Bistrița-Năsăud |
| Minister of National Defence (Romanian: Ministrul Apărării Naționale) | Nicolae Ciucă (acting) | PNL | 24 October 2022 | 31 October 2022 | Dolj |
| Minister of National Defence (Romanian: Ministrul Apărării Naționale) | Angel Tîlvăr | PSD | 31 October 2022 | 15 June 2023 | Vrancea |
| Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation (Romanian: Ministrul Cercetării, Inovării și Digitalizării) | Florin Roman | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 December 2021 | Alba |
| Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation (Romanian: Ministrul Cercetării, Inovării și Digitalizării) | Virgil Popescu (acting) | PNL | 15 December 2021 | 28 January 2022 | Mehedinți |
| Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation (Romanian: Ministrul Cercetării, Inovării și Digitalizării) | Marcel Boloș | PNL | 28 January 2022 | 3 May 2022 | Cluj |
| Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation (Romanian: Ministrul Cercetării, Inovării și Digitalizării) | Sebastian Burduja | PNL | 3 May 2022 | 15 June 2023 | Bucharest |
| Minister of Culture (Romanian: Ministrul Culturii) | Lucian Romașcanu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Buzău |
| Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration (Romanian: Ministrul Dezvoltării, Lucrărilor Publice și Administrației) | Cseke Attila | UDMR | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Bihor |
| Minister of Education (Romanian: Ministrul Educației) | Sorin Cîmpeanu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 29 September 2022 | Bucharest |
| Minister of Education (Romanian: Ministrul Educației) | Ligia Deca | PNL | 3 October 2022 | 15 June 2023 | Hunedoara |
| Minister of Energy (Romanian: Ministrul Energiei) | Virgil Popescu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Mehedinți |
| Minister of Economy (Romanian: Ministrul Economiei) | Florin Spătaru | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Galați |
| Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity (Romanian: Ministrul Muncii și Solidarității Sociale) | Marius Budăi | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Botoșani |
| Minister of Environment, Water and Forests (Romanian: Ministrul Mediului, Apelor și Pădurilor) | Tánczos Barna | UDMR | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Harghita |
| Minister of Transport and Infrastructure (Romanian: Ministrul Transporturilor și Infrastructurii) | Sorin Grindeanu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Caraș-Severin |
| Minister of Finance (Romanian: Ministrul Finanțelor) | Adrian Câciu | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Bucharest |
| Minister of Justice (Romanian: Ministrul Justiției) | Cătălin Predoiu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Buzău |
| Minister of Health (Romanian: Ministrul Sănătății) | Alexandru Rafila | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Bucharest |
| Minister of Investments and European Projects (Romanian: Ministrul Investițiilor și Proiectelor Europene) | Dan Vîlceanu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 7 April 2022 | Gorj |
| Minister of Investments and European Projects (Romanian: Ministrul Investițiilor și Proiectelor Europene) | Marcel Boloș | PNL | 3 May 2022 | 15 June 2023 | Cluj |
| Minister of Sport (Romanian: Ministrul Sportului) | Eduard Novak | UDMR | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Harghita |
| Minister of Family, Youth and Equality of Opportunity (Romanian: Ministrul Familiei, Tineretului și Egalității de Șanse) | Gabriela Firea | PSD | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Bacău |
| Minister of Entrepreneurship and Tourism (Romanian: Ministrul Antreprenoriatului și Turismului) | Constantin Cadariu | PNL | 25 November 2021 | 15 June 2023 | Suceava |

### Party breakdown

Party breakdown of cabinet members on the date of dissolution:
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) = 1 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister, 1 Secretary-General of the Government and 8 ministers | 10 |
| National Liberal Party (PNL) = 1 Prime Minister and 8 ministers | 9 |
| Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) = 1 Deputy Prime Minister and 3 ministers | 4 |