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| - Romania's designated prime minister Florin Citu withdrew Thursday from his post minutes before a parliament vote on his cabinet, prolonging a political crisis as the nation tackles a coronavirus outbreak. The political gridlock was triggered on February 5 when a government led by Ludovic Orban, head of the National Liberal Party (PNL), was toppled by a no-confidence vote after just three months in office. President Klaus Iohannis had picked Orban again to be prime minister but he withdrew before a vote in Romania's highly fragmented parliament, where no party has a majority and alliance building is essential. Iohannis's next choice was Citu, 47, a PNL senator and finance minister, an option seen as another bid by the liberal party to trigger early elections while it still has electoral momentum. Under Romania's constitution, the president can dissolve parliament and call a snap election if he fails twice to name an executive within 60 days. The PNL has been trying to force a snap election as it is doing well in polls, but Romania's Constitutional Court laid down a legal obstacle in late February. Iohannis called Citu's withdrawal "a gesture of political maturity." The president said he would consult with political parties Friday and probably make a new nomination the same day so the parliament could vote on a new cabinet next week. "Our first priority these days is to protect people's health," Iohannis said, underlining the need to combat the new coronavirus. Critics had seen Citu's nomination as another political ploy to force an election, but his withdrawal at the last minute baffled allies and opponents alike. The PM-designate said his resignation "must be interpreted in the current context", but gave no further explanation. Dan Barna, head of the centre-right Save Romania Union (USR) party, a PNL ally, called the decision "a mockery, a ridiculous moment for Romania (...) The PM designate had the votes, but decided to go home with his tail between his legs." A leader of the opposition Social Democrats has suggested they too were prepared to back the government until the coronavirus crisis had passed. Romania has confirmed 59 cases of COVID-19 and has already closed schools, banned gatherings of more than 100 people and tightened border controls. ii/pma/wai
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