Ilie Bolojan - appointed prime minister by President Dan on Friday

President Nicusor Dan appointed Ilie Bolojan, interim leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), as prime minister on Friday.On Thursday, the head of state held consultations with the parties and political groups represented in Parliament to nominate a candidate for prime minister."I nominate Mr. Ilie Bolojan as prime minister. I would like to thank the parties that will form the parliamentary majority for these weeks of discussions. It is in Romania's interest that the government be supported by a solid majority, and the parties have understood this. It is also in Romania's interest that the political forces in the majority supporting the government work together, and I am confident that they will do so," the president said.He also referred to the duration of negotiations on the formation of the new Executive."Obviously, it was a legitimate question from society why these discussions lasted a month. On the one hand, we have the example of consolidated democracies where negotiations to form a multi-party government take much longer than a month. On the other hand, there were important, sensitive issues and difficult measures that the parties undertook for the government, and none of the days we spent in these discussions was a wasted day," said the head of state.Nicusor Dan stated that "the urgent need for Romania is economic recovery," but that this requires "a solid foundation."The head of state emphasized the issue of the deficit."We must work, and the responsibility lies with the government and the coalition that supports it. We need to correct the financial deficit in order to lay the foundations for the Romanian economy, with all its potential, to develop and bring prosperity to Romanians," said Nicusor Dan.   Political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu said on Friday that new prime minister-designate Ilie Bolojan is perceived as a cold surgeon who will operate without anesthetic, the pick of the Liberal for the position of prime minister being "logical", but also coming with certain risks."In the end, Nicusor Dan has pulled out the ace up his sleeve: Ilie Bolojan, the man with the red pen and the tight budget, becomes the prime minister-designate. The choice is logical, but is comes with certain risks. Bolojan is perceived as a cold surgeon who will operate without anesthetic. We are already wading through a multiple-faceted crisis. The budget deficit is affecting Romania's credibility, the European Commission is demanding concrete measures, and populism holds us in grip both on TikTok and in Parliament. In the meantime, the president and the future prime minister have already had disputes over the VAT," Pirvulescu declared after Ilie Bolojan's designation as prime minister.Against this background, argues Professor Pirvulescu, the far-right is warming up in the wings, hoping that the Bolojan Government will fail and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians will reap all the benefits."This nomination is not a solution, but a bet. If he succeeds, Ilie Bolojan will repair what an entire political class has destroyed. If not, we may witness the end of a fragile democratic order," Cristian Pirvulescu warns. ***Ilie Gavril Bolojan was born March 17, 1969 in Vadu Crisului, Bihor County.He attended the 'Emanuil Gojdu' Mathematics and Physics High School in Oradea (1983 - 1987), then the Faculty of Mechanics at the 'Traian Vuia'' Polytechnic Institute in Timisoara (1988 - 1993) and the Faculty of Mathematics (1990 - 1993) of the Timisoara University.He pursued specialization courses in public administration: École nationale d'administration - France: Formation spécialisée a l'intention des cadres de l'administration préfectorale roumaine (April 18 - November 18, 2005), Specialized training program for prefectural tasks (2005) and Advanced training program: Decentralization process in public administration - present and perspectives (Aug. 2006) at the National Institute of Administration.He was a teacher at the Tileagd Special Needs School (1993 - 1994) and business administrator at the Campus S.R.L. Alesd Trading Company (1994 - 2004), vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of the Salubri S.A. Alesd Sanitation Company (2000 - 2001), member of the Board of Directors of the 'Alexandru Roman' High School in Alesd (2001 - 2004) and member of the Board of Directors of the Alesd Territorial Hospital (2003 - 2004).Bolojan is a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL). Between 1996 and 2004 he served as a local councilor of the town of Alesd, then sat on the Bihor County Council (2004 - 2005).Between 2005 and 2007 he was prefect of Bihor County, and in the period 2007 - 2008 he acted as Government Secretary General.He held the office of mayor of Oradea municipality (2008 - 2020) and was president of the Bihor County Council (October 19, 2020 - January 1, 2025).Since November 25, 2024 he has been filling the position of PNL interim Chairman.Following the 2024 parliamentary election, he secured a term as a senator, and on December 23 he was elected President of the Senate.Ilie Bolojan took over as acting president on February 12, 2025, following the resignation of Klaus-Werner Iohannis. He resumed his office as President of the Senate on May 26, after handing over the mandate of head of state to Nicusor Dan.