Romania’s political tumult continues as leftist party leaves talks to form pro-European coalition
Associated PressBUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s leftist Social Democratic Party on Thursday withdrew from negotiations to form a pro-European coalition government, extending political turmoil that has gripped the European Union country after a top court annulled a presidential election. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the PSD, which won the most votes in the parliamentary election on Dec. 1, said his party was abandoning negotiations with three traditional parties after a fraught negotiation process failed. “We are doing this because this country urgently needs a government to manage current issues until the upcoming presidential elections.” The PSD had agreed to form a majority coalition with the center-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, USR, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, which aimed to shut out far-right nationalists who made significant parliamentary gains. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says the PSD’s withdrawal is a “crisis within crisis” and is likely due to tough economic decisions needed to address Romania’s large budget deficit.