Romania’s Social Democrats and Liberals unveil EU election joint list, lose top candidate

Romania’s Social Democrats and Liberals announced the composition of their joint list for the EU elections on Thursday, and while an independent candidate was chosen to lead the list, she withdrew her candidacy at the last moment.

Despite belonging to different European political parties, the Social Democrats (S&D) and Liberals (EPP), who also form the ruling coalition in Bucharest, have decided to present a joint list for the European Parliament elections in June. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu insisted that the list be headed by a woman without party affiliation.

After a long search, the two parties announced last week that Ramona Chiriac, the head of the European Commission’s representation in Bucharest, would head the list.

On Thursday afternoon, however, the Social Democrats announced that Ramona Chiriac had informed President Marcel Ciolacu that she was withdrawing her candidacy.

According to political sources, Chiriac wanted to be nominated for the post of European Commissioner, a proposal that Ciolacu rejected.

Chiriac later confirmed her withdrawal on the X platform, citing “personal reasons”.

The Social Democratic president refused to comment on her withdrawal.

Political sources told Euractiv that the two parties aim to secure 17 of Romania’s 33 seats in the European Parliament.

Both the PSD and the PNL held separate meetings on Thursday to finalise their lists of candidates, with the first 10 positions allocated according to the zipper system.

The leadership of the list remains undecided for the time being. When Liberal President Nicolae Ciucă learned of Ramona Chiriac’s withdrawal at the Parliament building alongside journalists covering the two meetings, he remarked that the Liberals would first have to “digest” the information.

In the absence of a swift replacement candidate, one possibility for the top job is a lottery between the two parties’ main candidates, Mihai Tudose and Rareş Bogdan.

Ciolacu said he would meet Nicolae Ciucă next week to find a solution for a lead candidate. He suggested that an independent candidate is no longer on the table.

“At this moment, both parties have sufficiently qualified individuals to lead the list.”

Among the liberals, the main candidates are MEPs Rareş Bogdan, Daniel Motreanu, Daniel Buda, Siegfried Mureşan, Mircea Hava, Gheorghe Falcă, and the transport commissioner Adina Vălean.

MEPs Mihai Tudose, Claudiu Manda, Victor Negrescu, Dan Nica, Dragoş Benea, and Maria Grapini will be on the list, alongside former Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea and former Defence Minister Vasile Dîncu.

In the coming period, the Social Democrats will conduct a series of polls, the results of which could lead to changes in the positions on the list.

(Cătălina Mihai, Sebastian Rotaru | Euractiv.ro)