BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian President Nicusor Dan nominated a former mayor to be prime minister on Sunday as he seeks to end a political crisis after his previous pick for the premiership withdrew after failing to win political support. Dan nominated 53-year-old Adrian Vestea, a career politician from central Brasov County and longtime member of the National Liberal Party, to try to form a government. Vestea is Dan’s second prime ministerial nomination this month, after his previous pick, Eugen Tomac, failed to present a cabinet to Parliament within 10 days.“Eugen Tomac withdrew his mandate this morning and … I nominate Adrian Vestea as prime minister,” Dan said at the presidential Cotroceni Palace, in Bucharest. The nomination will need to be approved by lawmakers.Dan said that Vestea was suitable for the role because he had “gone through all the administrative stages” throughout his political career, during which he served as mayor of a small town and as county council president of Brasov, where he attracted European funds.
“He was a successful mayor, he was a successful county council president, he was a successful minister,” Dan said. “He is a categorically pro-Western person … a person who has worked for a long time with budgets. So I am convinced that he will successfully fulfill this task.”
