Romania: Niculescu government sworn in after 280-vote confidence win
The Cotroceni swearing-in is now confirmed by TVR’s live coverage and AGERPRES. The first cabinet meeting is not presented as already completed.
Updated 20.10.2026 · 20:13, Athens time — What changed:
Luca Niculescu and his cabinet were sworn in on the evening of 20 October 2026 at Cotroceni Palace before President Nicușor Dan. Completion is confirmed by TVR’s on-site coverage and AGERPRES, not merely by the earlier ceremony schedule.
This is a new stage after parliamentary approval and publication of the appointment. The first cabinet meeting had been announced for the same evening; no completed decisions from that meeting are asserted here.
Earlier updates — history
Luca Niculescu’s government won a confidence vote in the joint sitting of Romania’s two parliamentary chambers on 20 October 2026. The official count reported by AGERPRES gives 280 votes in favour and 58 against, out of 338 valid votes.
At least 233 votes in favour were required. Voting was secret, using balls. The result is corroborated by Romanian public television TVR, which broadcast the parliamentary proceedings live, and ERT’s report.
Entries in the official gazette
The official Monitorul Oficial register lists the confidence resolution in issue 876 and the presidential decree appointing the government in issue 877, both dated 20 October. AGERPRES also reports publication of both acts.
Publication entries were checked in the public register; the register is not described as a full transcript of the vote. The tally comes from the official result reported by the agency and separate television coverage.
The political change
The government combines Social Democratic Party figures and independents, with Niculescu himself unaffiliated. Parliamentary approval is a substantive step following the prolonged government-formation crisis.
The confidence vote, presidential appointment and swearing-in are separate stages. This report confirms the vote result and publication entries; it does not infer completion of swearing-in or implementation of individual policy pledges from those facts alone.
English translation of the Greek edition · Read in Greek