Bucharest  - Romanian President Traian Basescu expressed reservations Wednesday about nominating ethnic German mayor Klaus Johannis to form a new government, citing the need for a person with international financial expertise.

A day after the minority government of Emil Boc of the centrist PD-L failed a no-confidence vote in parliament, Basescu said he was not in principle opposed to the opposition's call for a technocratic cabinet led by Johannis.

But he added that at a time of economic crisis, Romania needed a premier "with economic competence" and one who could operate well with international financial institutions.

Without money from the International Monetary Fund and European Union, he said, Romania might possibly be no longer able to pay wages and pensions.

Romania is currently operating on an emergency lifeline of 20 billion euros (29 billion dollars) from those two institutions, with conditions attached.

Johannis, mayor of the north-western Romanian city of Sibiu (Hermannstadt), was proposed by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) and National Liberal Party (PNL).

Those two parties, along with the ethnic Hungarian political assoicaion UDMR and a faction of national minorities now could combine for a majority in parliament.

"We have the majority which can propose the premier," PSD leader Mircea Geoana said. Johannis should be put in charge of an interim government until after Romania's presidential election on November 22, he demanded.

Under the Romanian constitution, it is the president who formally puts forward a candidate as premier and commissions him to form a government.  dpa