Romanian Prime Minister-designate Florin Citu dropped his bid for office on Thursday, just minutes before a scheduled vote of confidence in parliament.

The Balkan state is run by an interim centrist cabinet headed by Ludovic Orban, who has limited powers after his government collapsed in a no-confidence vote last month.

With concerns growing over the outbreak of coronavirus and the economic impact it could have, Romanian parliamentarians changed their minds about Citu's bid, prompting him to step down. Experts speculate that Citu, the country's finance minister, stepped down because his party boss, Orban, pressured him to do so, according to Romanian news site G4media.ro.

"The president's decision to designate me was an honor," Citu said in a statement. "But it was made at a time when early elections were a solution agreed by most parties. That solution no longer exists today."

"I strongly believe that to be successful in the coming elections, the party's president must also be prime minister."

The move means that Orban could be put forward by centrist President Klaus Iohannis as an alternative candidate.

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'No time to waste'

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced that he will begin consultations on the appointment of the next prime minister at 11am UTC (1pm local time), according to G4media. Iohannis has asked the parliament to work "promptly" to have a new government installed by the start of next week.

"We have no time to waste," he said. "I ask the parliament to work swiftly, so that next week we will have a stable government that I can work with to dedicate myself to the fight against coronavirus. The top priortiy is to protect citizens."

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The Liberals now look set to propose a new premier, who must secure a majority so that the new government can be formed as quickly as possible, according to English-language site The Romania Journal.

Last month, the constitutional court questioned Orban's reappointment, saying that any nomination had to be aimed at forming a parliamentary majority.

Opposition Social Democrats claimed that the court ruling showed that Iohannis had been trying to trigger a snap election, rather than actually forming a government.

Coronavirus brings political unity

While Citu's nomination was viewed largely as a political move, chances of reaching a deal over a new government now appear to have increased because of the need to have effective leadership during the coronavirus epidemic and the subsequent economic consequences.

"A captain doesn't leave the battlefront in the middle of a battle," said Liberal senator Florin Roman.

"We are going through a very complicated, unprecedented period," said Iohannis.

Last month, Romanian lawmakers toppled Orban's centrist minority government through a vote of no-confidence, following just three months in office for the interim premier. The vote followed an attempt to change the law for local elections, and to re-introduce a two-round voting system. Orban's party has seen its popularity ratings double to about 47% since a 2016 parliamentary election.

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lc/rg (Reuters, AFP)