National Coalition for Romania

National Coalition for Romania
The National Coalition for Romania (CNR) is a big tent grand coalition in Romania, which includes the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL). In addition, this grand coalition supports the incumbent Romanian President Klaus Iohannis as well. The CNR also included the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) until its withdrawal from the coalition in June 2023.
History
After the political crisis in autumn 2021, PNL, PSD, and the UDMR/RMDSZ reached an agreement to rule the country together through a solid grand coalition for the next 7 years. Thus, it has been agreed that the prime minister and several other important ministries should be changed every 1 year and a half. Consequently, the first prime minister to be appointed was national liberal Nicolae Ciucă. His cabinet was sworn in on 25 November.
On 23 November 2021, Marcel Ciolacu (PSD) was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies. Also the same day, Anca Dragu (USR) was dismissed as Senate chairman, being replaced by the former Prime Minister Florin Cîțu (PNL). In early 2022, the coalition's activity was praised by President Iohannis, stating that "the Romanian political class has shown democratic maturity".
The coalition, up until the swearing in of Ciucă's cabinet, was initially referred to as the Coalition for Resilience, Development and Prosperity (CRDP).
On June 12, 2023, according to the protocol of the CNR, Nicolae Ciucă resigned. The next day, president Klaus Iohannis designated Marcel Ciolacu to be the next prime-minister. Ciucă became the President of the Romanian Senate on June 13, 2023. UDMR also withdrew from the coalition, after the National Liberals decided to take the Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, which was held by UDMR in the Ciucă Cabinet. On June 15, 2023, the Parliament of Romania voted the Ciolacu Cabinet. Iohannis praised the PSD-PNL coalition again, saying that this new model implemented in Romanian politics - the government rotation - „has worked very well so far”. He also declared that „the fact that today we are here to formalize the rotation of the prime ministers shows a new level of seriousness of the coalition”.
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).
Ideology
Although they have opposing ideologies, both PSD and PNL claim to have formed a reformist alliance. The parties in the coalition have been said to take an overall statist and conservative approach, the main common idea of the two being economic patriotism.
Criticism
While former PSD and PNL rivals claim to have made the alliance in the interest of the people, there was heavy criticism of both parties because they promised not to form an alliance with each other. President Klaus Iohannis, who is rumored to be the coalition's architect, was sharply criticized, because between 2018 and 2020 he had repeatedly criticized the PSD, then brought the PSD back to government. At one point, PNL president Florin Cîțu claimed that "Our [PNL's] former [coalition] partners [the USR] shook hands with the PSD, [and] they didn't want to shake hands with us [the PNL] anymore".
Critics also called the coalition the second monstrous coalition, or USL 2.0, as well as kleptocratic, authoritarian, illiberal and corrupt. Ludovic Orban, former PNL president and Prime Minister, has seen the coalition as a "danger for Romanian democracy".
Under Ciucă's premiership, Romania experienced democratic backsliding, with The Economist ranking it last in the European Union (EU) in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary.
Electoral history
It is still unknown whether or not the coalition would also participate together in the upcoming elections.
Legislative elections
See also
Social Liberal Union (USL): a similar political alliance active between 2011 and 2014
Force of the Right (FD): the most recent major PNL splinter founded by former PNL president and former Prime Minister Ludovic Orban in late 2021
Notes
References
2021 establishments in Romania
Authoritarianism
National Liberal Party (Romania)
Political corruption
Political parties established in 2021
Political party alliances in Romania
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
Conservative parties in Romania