The nominee for Finance Minister, Alexandru Nazare, stated on Monday that the political crisis must be brought to an end as soon as possible, and that this opportunity exists on Wednesday during the vote on the Muresan Government.

He stated that it is premature to make predictions regarding the assessment to be conducted by the rating agency Standard & Poor's, noting that the situation is complicated by 'political turbulence,' but that the 'strong argument' in the country's favor is its budget execution.

'The sooner the political crisis is resolved and a government is invested as a result, the better. We have this opportunity on Wednesday, during the vote on the Muresan government,' stated Nazare following the meeting between the proposed ministers and Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Muresan.

Regarding the report Standard & Poor's is set to issue on Romania, Nazare noted that the country has a strong argument in its budget execution.

'We held intensive discussions with S&P—including during their in-person mission to Bucharest, technical meetings at the Ministry of Finance, and meetings with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, as well as contacts both before the delegation arrived and after they left. It is premature to make predictions, and I do not wish to do so, because the situation is complicated by political turbulence; however, we have a strong argument: budget execution. An adjustment of 1.6% of GDP compared to last year's execution—amounting to nearly 27 billion—is a very powerful argument, and I am counting on it for the report due out on Friday,' Nazare added.

When asked if he could guarantee that taxes would not be raised next year—as proposed by the prime minister-designate—Alexandru Nazare replied: 'We will hold those discussions once we have an approved budget.'

'The 2027 budget entails significant additional pressures compared to 2026. Addressing these issues is, of course, a matter of great importance that must be discussed with each individual party to ensure the budget passes and remains credible. (...) What I can tell you (...) is that we have no intention of raising the VAT for 2027. The working assumptions—although we haven't actually started the technical preparations for the 2027 budget yet—did not include the possibility of a VAT hike for that year,' stated Nazare, who also serves as an interim minister in the Bolojan government.

He stated that the goal is for this government to pass the vote and for all his colleagues designated as ministers to successfully clear all the hearings. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Alina Novaceanu; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)