Romania's newly appointed prime minister has begun talks on forming a new government, after weeks of nationwide protests forced his predecessor to resign.

Mihai Razvan Ungureanu met with coalition parties Tuesday.

He had previously served as the head of Romania's foreign intelligence service, and was named prime minister Monday by Romanian President Traian Basescu.

Former prime minister Emil Boc told his Cabinet Monday he was stepping down to “diffuse political and social tension.”

Thousands of Romanians have protested for the past month, angry at the government for spending cuts and other austerity measures.

The spending cuts were required as part of a multi-billion-dollar loan from the World Bank, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Romania is scheduled to hold a parliamentary election late this year. The opposition has been calling for the vote to be held earlier.