BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's president held talks with political parties Wednesday to decide on a candidate for prime minister, after the ruling party forced the resignation of their prime minister less than seven months after he took office.

President Klaus Iohannis first met with the Social Democrats and their junior partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. They want Viorica Dancila, a European member of Parliament, to be the next premier.

If Parliament approves, Dancila would be Romania's first woman premier. She is an ally of Social Democrat chairman Liviu Dragnea, who can't be prime minister himself due to a conviction for vote-rigging.

Dancila supports laws being considered by Parliament that critics say will make it harder to prosecute high-level corruption.

Romania's opposition Liberal Party, meanwhile, called Wednesday for an early election, saying the Social Democrats have failed to deliver a stable government.

Mihai Tudose resigned Monday as premier after the Social Democrats withdrew their support for him. The party also ousted his predecessor, Sorin Grindeanu in a no-confidence vote in June 2017.

After the Social Democrats came to power in December 2016, they moved to pass laws that have diluted efforts to crack down on corruption. That prompted weeks of massive protests, the largest since communism ended in 1989.

The government backed off, but late last year began to debate draft legislation in Parliament that would restructure the way Romania's justice system works. The move was criticized by the U.S. and the European Union who said Romania risked backsliding on its anti-corruption fight.

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