Sawt Falasteen - Romanian pro-EU PM loses no-confidence motion

The move by the left wing Social Democrats (PSD), Romania's biggest party, to join with the far right to file the motion drew criticism that they were legitimising a surging far right.

The motion received 281 votes in the 464-seat parliament. Bolojan's liberals (PNL) and his USR allies were present, but did not vote.

The PSD quit the government last month and teamed up with the AUR, Romania's main far-right party, for the motion.

The AUR has passed the PSD in surveys since the last parliamentary elections, sitting at around 37 percent.

By joining with the AUR, the PSD has turned it "into a significant political player, from a party that was isolated, ostracised and kept on the margins of the political system", political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP.

AUR leader George Simion posted on X after the vote that "the voice of the people was heard today," calling for "national reconciliation".

- 'Find solution' -

Tensions with the PSD escalated as Bolojan, 57, pushed for unpopular austerity measures to reduce the deficit, the biggest in the European Union.

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu said after the vote that Bolojan should resign while it is "the duty of responsible parties to find a solution".

"I want us to form a government quickly," he said.

Pro-EU President Nicusor Dan has given assurances that the eastern European country of 19 million people will keep its pro-Western direction, ruling out the possibility of a far-right government.

"Political discussions will be difficult, but it is my responsibility as president -- and that of the political parties -- to steer Romania in the right direction," he told reporters on Monday.

In parliament ahead of the vote, Bolojan defended his push for reforms, slamming the motion as "deceitful, cynical, and contrived."

"I chose to do what was urgent and necessary for our country," he said.

- 'Anxiety' -

Bolojan's liberals, the PSD and two other pro-EU parties formed a government last year following elections in which the far right won an unprecedented third of parliamentary seats.

The deal ended political tumult marked by the annulment of presidential elections over allegations of Russian interference in December 2024.

The no-confidence motion against Bolojan now threatens to revive the turmoil.

Ciobanu, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, said that weeks of political negotiations were likely, which could see a new government of the same four pro-EU parties but with a different premier.

"We're seeing this existential anxiety within the Social Democratic Party" which "doesn't know what it should do right now to get back to where it used to be", Ciobanu added.

Since the crisis erupted, the interest rates at which Romania borrows have risen, and the lei currency has depreciated against the euro, which reached an all-time high of 5.21 Romanian lei on Tuesday.

Romania, which had a deficit of 7.9 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of last year, has been subject to an EU excessive deficit procedure since 2020.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST