BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) 鈥� collapsed Tuesday after lawmakers voted against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, less than a year after he was sworn in, triggering fresh turmoil in the European country.
The no-confidence vote was a blow to Bolojan, who came to power with the aim of ending one of Romania鈥檚 worst political crises in its post-communist history.
The Social Democratic Party, or PSD, and the nationalist opposition Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party, or AUR, jointly submitted to Parliament on April 28. PSD withdrew from the coalition last month. On Tuesday, 281 lawmakers voted in favor and four voted against.
Lawmakers from Bolojan鈥檚 National Liberal Party, or PNL, and coalition partners, Save Romania Union party and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, abstained.
Romanian President called for calm on Tuesday, saying that while it is 鈥渘ot a happy moment 鈥� it is a democratic decision by Parliament,鈥� and that negotiations and informal consultations to form a new government are underway.
鈥淲e will have a new government within a reasonable time,鈥� Dan said. 鈥淚 exclude the scenario of early elections. And I emphasize: at the end of these procedures, we will have a pro-Western government 鈥� we will calmly get through this.鈥�
Unrest grips the EU member country
Romania has faced a long period of instability after the in December 2024. The country has also grappled with one of the highest budget deficits in the European Union, rampant inflation, and a technical recession. In June, when the , it pledged to reduce the budget deficit, marking it a top priority.
The PSD had often found itself at loggerheads with Bolojan over , including tax hikes, public-sector wage and pension freezes, and cuts to state spending and public administration jobs.
Last week, the party accused Bolojan of 鈥渇ailing to implement any genuine reform鈥� in his 10 months leading the government, and said Romania needs a leader who is 鈥渃apable of collaboration.鈥� Bolojan said that he took tough but necessary fiscal measures that effectively 鈥渞egained the trust of the markets in the Romanian government.鈥�
Bolojan also called the no-confidence motion 鈥渃ynical and artificial鈥� and said before the vote that it 鈥渟eems to be written by people who were not in government every day and did not participate in all the decisions.鈥�
鈥淚t is cynical, because it does not take into account the context in which we find ourselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 assumed the position of prime minister, being aware that it comes with enormous pressure and that I would not receive applause from the citizens. But I chose to do what was urgent and necessary for our country.鈥�
PSD calls for an interim president
The PSD party’s president, Sorin Grindeanu, said Bolojan should appoint an interim prime minister until one is voted into office by lawmakers. He also said he expected Romanian President Nicusor Dan to consult PSD.
鈥淚 would like us to quickly find a solution 鈥� together with the other parties and move forward,鈥� Grindeanu said. 鈥淎ll options are open.鈥�
The secretary-general of Bolojan’s party, Dan Motreanu, posted on social media, saying PSD and AUR 鈥渉ave a duty to take over the government, to come up with a prime minister candidate and a clear program,鈥� accusing the two parties of 鈥減laying political theater.鈥�
鈥淵ou cannot overthrow a government and then run away from accountability,鈥� Motreanu wrote, adding that 鈥渁ny signal of political chaos鈥� negatively affects the country’s economy and people.
The PSD would be needed to form a pro-European parliamentary majority. The party has previously ruled out forming a government with AUR, whose leader, George Simion, said Tuesday that voters had 鈥渟upported and wanted water, food, energy,鈥� but had 鈥渞eceived taxes, war and poverty.鈥�
Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, said the crisis will likely lead to a stalemate, since 鈥渘o one has a majority, or a coalition, and it will take the president … weeks to find such a majority and name a new prime minister, prolonging the indecision.鈥�
鈥淎t this moment, there are two tentative options for a new Cabinet, both difficult to achieve; either a reshuffled coalition, without Bolojan, in the same formation … or a minority Cabinet, rather led by PSD and satellites from populist parties, like AUR, or other small groups,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 PSD-AUR official Cabinet is not a possibility today because the president will not endorse it.鈥�
The prime ministerial position was set to be rotated in 2027 from Bolojan to a PSD premier as part of a power-sharing agreement. A general election is scheduled for 2028.
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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.
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