Romania’s acting President Ilie Bolojan appointed Interior Affairs Minister Cătălin Predoiu as interim prime minister on May 6, following the resignation of Marcel Ciolacu.

Predoiu, who also serves as interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), takes over the role with the current cabinet remaining unchanged until a new government is formed after the second round of the presidential elections on May 18.

"The government of Romania will continue its activity under the interim conditions, as established by the constitution and the laws," Predoiu said.

He added that continuity in governance is “important for the smooth running of public affairs, but also for the predictability and balance of private economic circuits, for financial markets, for the interests of all Romanian companies, civil society, and all Romanian citizens, wherever they may be.”

Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), stepped down on May 5 after the ruling coalition's candidate Crin Antonescu failed to qualify for the presidential run-off. The PSD also withdrew from the coalition government it had led in partnership with PNL and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR).

Despite the coalition’s de facto collapse, the ministers of the PSD-PNL-UDMR government are expected to remain in office on a caretaker basis until a new cabinet is appointed. Unlike PSD, PNL assured it would continue to support government functions during the interim period.

In the upcoming second round of the presidential elections, nationalist George Simion of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), who won over 40% of the vote in the first round, will face independent candidate Nicuşor Dan, who secured 20.99%. The PNL and UDMR have publicly endorsed Dan, while the PSD has refrained from backing any candidate.

Simion has already said he will aim to install far-right ideologue Calin Georgescu as prime minister if he wins the presidential election runoff on May 18.