Bucharest, 12 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă of the National Liberal Party (PNL) resigned on Monday per agreement and was replaced by his coalition partner Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The PNL and PSD had agreed that the Social Democrats would replace the PNL at the helm of government at the halfway point of the mandate, as both parties emerged from the last parliamentary election in December 2020 with almost equal strength. The next parliamentary election is set for autumn 2024.

The unusual agreement was delayed by three weeks due to a strike by teachers and technical school staff. Ciolacu did not want to take office before reaching an agreement with the protesters.

On Monday, the teachers' unions accepted a government offer for an average 25% salary increase. Romania's teachers make up the largest share of Romanian state employees and have been the worst paid of all civil servants.

Photo: archive