Ciucă Cabinet

The Ciucă Cabinet was the 132nd government of Romania led by former Romanian Land Forces army general Nicolae Ciucă (PNL; also current PNL president) from 25 November 2021 to 12 June 2023.

The grand coalition forming the government, consisting of Social Democratic Party (PSD), National Liberal Party (PNL), and Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), is also referred to as the National Coalition for Romania (Coaliția Națională pentru România, CNR).

Since the cabinet's investment, Romania experienced a shift towards authoritarianism and illiberalism. Under Ciucă's premiership, Romania experienced democratic backsliding, with The Economist ranking it last in the European Union in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary. 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 ).

Background and formation
On 1 September 2021, the PNL, then-prime minister Florin Cîțu and still incumbent president Klaus Iohannis triggered the 2021 Romanian political crisis by the sacking of former justice minister Stelian Ion, preceded by a scandal between the PNL and their former coalition partners, the progressive-liberal USR PLUS (from which Ion stemmed), on the so-called Anghel Saligny investment program (or "PNDL 3", as it is also known). The remaining USR ministers eventually resigned on their own, and the Cîțu Cabinet, which preceded the Ciucă Cabinet, was dismissed on 5 October through a motion of no confidence, with a record number of votes on behalf of USR, PSD, and AUR.

The prime minister candidate, who is designated by the president, has to request the investiture vote/vote of confidence from the legislature within 10 days from being appointed. On 11 October, President Iohannis designated Dacian Cioloș of the USR to form the next government, but his government was subsequently rejected by the parliament. Nicolae Ciucă of PNL was designated for the same position on 20 October, but eventually submitted his term. At that time, he was ordered by the PNL to convene negotiations only for a PNL-UDMR minority government, which is a form of government that was not accepted by a party other than PNL and UDMR.

The national-liberals resorted to negotiations with the largest party in the parliament, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the prospect of forming a majority government with full powers, but they quickly reached a deadlock. The PSD, who were the main opposition party against the cabinets formed around the PNL up to this point, wanted the office of Prime Minister, but the PNL refused to cede the office and strongly desired that the office be occupied by a PNL member, which happened with the re-designation of Nicolae Ciucă by President Iohannis on 22 November, one day after the negotiations ended.

The cabinet hearings took place on 24 November. The Ciucă Cabinet was sworn in on 25 November.

Technological initiatives
The cabinet has shown support for some technological projects such as: nuclear energy by small modular nuclear reactors through a partnership with the US firm NuScale Power, electric vehicle development by a group of investors from Cluj and green energy projects. The cabinet also supports the Anghel Saligny investment program.

Composition
The Ciucă Cabinet was a grand coalition government consisting of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). Some positions within the government are set to rotate between the PSD and the PNL, more specifically the prime minister, the secretary-general of the government, and the ministries of interior, justice, finance, and defense. The next shuffle was originally planned to take place by 1 June 2023, though this was delayed on 26 May following a general strike in the Romanian education system that began a few days earlier.

Party breakdown
Party breakdown of cabinet members on the date of dissolution: