Romanian PM Says He’ll Keep Populists at Bay, Despite Virus
- Orban confident of forming majority government after elections
- PM wants to narrow budget gap, channel EU cash to investments
Ludovic Orban
Photographer: Ioana Epure/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Romania’s prime minister is convinced the Covid-19 pandemic, which has triggered the worst economic slump on record, won’t stop him forming a solid majority after elections next month.
Speaking in an interview in his Bucharest office, Ludovic Orban said he’s confident of keeping populist parties at bay in the Dec. 6 vote. Even so, the crisis has taken a bite out of his Liberal Party’s backing: Polls put it in front but only with about 30% support, meaning he’ll almost certainly need coalition partners to form a stable government.