Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned on Monday after weeks of protests against austerity measures he introduced.

"I have decided to tender the resignation of my government," Boc said in a cabinet meeting that was broadcast live.

He defended his record, saying that he had "taken difficult decisions thinking about the future of Romania, not because I wanted to, but because I had to."

President Traian Basescu later appointed foreign intelligence chief Mihai Razzvan Ungureanu as the new prime minister, asking him to form a cabinet, which must subsequently be approved by parliament.

Ungureanu said in a brief statement that his priority would be "the economic and political stability of Romania." The 43-year-old, a former foreign minister, is considered a loyal ally of Basescu. The opposition Liberal Party, which opposes Basescu as it did Boc, has said that its parliamentary boycott is likely to continue.

Prior to announcing Ungureanu as his nominee for prime minister, Basescu had appointed Catalin Predoiu to serve as caretaker prime minister until a new cabinet could be assembled. The lawyer was chosen as the only politically independent cabinet minister; he resigned from the opposition Liberal Party in 2008.

Controversial austerity measures

Tens of thousands of people had braved extreme cold over recent weeks to protest the social hardships caused by government belt-tightening.

Boc was a casualty of austerity

Boc's center-right cabinet pushed through harsh austerity measures, which included tens of thousands of job cuts, public salaries being slashed by a quarter and tax hikes. In return Bucharest received a 20-billion-euro ($26.3-billion) bailout from the International Monetary Fund and European Union.

The former leader's Democratic Liberal Party saw its support fall to 15 percent within a month and opposition politicians had been calling for new elections.

Boc, who took office in 2008, urged politicians on Monday to quickly organize snap elections. Parliamentary elections had been planned for later this year.

ncy/msh/ccp (Reuters, DAPD, AP, dpa)