Bejinariu was appointed as acting/ad interim prime minister at the request of resigning PSD prime minister, Adrian Năstase, and confirmed by the new president Traian Băsescu to hold the office until a new prime minister was named (which subsequently was in the person of Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu of the PNL). Bejinariu was the minister of government coordination in Năstase's cabinet, joining the government after a long stint as chairman of Romania's State Protocol Department (RAPPS). He was replaced as prime minister on 28 December 2004 by national liberal Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu.