The Romanian Prime Minister announced his resignation from office and the withdrawal of the SDP from the ruling coalition.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcela Ciolaku has announced that he is leaving his post, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is withdrawing from the ruling coalition. This was announced on May 5 by the G4Media portal.

"As long as I am the president of the SDP, there will be no government of the SDP-AUR (Alliance for the Unification of Romanians)," he is quoted as saying in the publication.

It is specified that the new Romanian president, who will be elected at the May 18 vote, together with the parties that will be able to create a majority in parliament, will appoint a new prime minister.

According to the newspaper, the ministers of the SDP remain temporarily in charge until the formation of a new government. The maximum period during which they can stay in their places is 45 days.

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On May 5, Ciolaku announced that he was ready to leave the post of Prime Minister of Romania in the event of the SDP's withdrawal from the ruling coalition. It is clarified that Ciolaku made such a statement after the coalition's presidential candidate, Crin Antonescu, did not qualify for the second round of voting. Earlier in the day, Antonescu admitted defeat in the first round. He also called on his compatriots to vote in the second round, which will be held on May 18, but did not say which of the rivals he preferred.

On May 4, it became known that the candidate and head of the opposition Alliance for the Unification of Romanians party, George Simion, was leading in the first round of the Romanian presidential election with 42.28% of the vote. According to the CEC, the second place was taken by the candidate from the ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu, with 22.53% of the vote. He is followed by Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 15.75%, and former Prime Minister Victor Ponta closes the top four with 14.75% of the vote.

On May 5, Simion announced that he would allow the appointment of former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu as prime minister.