The newly appointed prime minister Dacian Cioloș and his picked cabinet ministers are expected on Wednesday in Parliament for the investiture vote. It looks like a mission impossible scenario for the Union to Save Romania (USR) party leader to succeed assembling a new government team that would gain the approval of parliament.
USR holds only 80 seats in the Romanian Parliament, far short of a majority of 234 votes needed to pass the Cioloș cabinet.
Cioloș will have to win parliamentary approval without the support of both The National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the two biggest Romanian parties.
The liberals will be present but will refrain from voting at the plenary meeting for the cabinet investiture, where Dacian Cioloș will present his appointed ministers and governing program.
The Cioloș government also lacks the support of PSD MPs, as well as others smaller opposition groups, such as the Hungarian ethnic party UDMR, or the right wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR).
The deputy president of PSD, Sorin Grindeanu, stated that the USR government poses „great” chances to be sacked with a record number of negative votes.
Cioloș failure in Parliament would open the way for snap elections scenario - a first in the Romanian political history
The failure to secure the necessary votes in Parliament for the Cioloș cabinet opens to way to snap elections.
According to the Constitution, the President of Romania may dissolve the Parliament, if no vote of confidence has been obtained to form a government within 60 days after the first request was made, and only after rejection of at least two picked-prime ministers.
If Cioloș fails to achieve the threshold of 234 votes required to pass his government team in the Parliament, the political crisis enters a new stage.
The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, is expected to summon a new meeting with the parliamentary party leaders at Cotroceni Palace and appoint thereafter a new prime minister.
The liberals will likely nominate Florin Cîțu as prime-minister in the following meeting with Iohannis, according to political sources from PNL leadership.
USR already announced that they will not join a government headed by Citu, therefore tough negociations are expected to follow.
Meanwhile, politicians from all the Romanian parties are assessing the scenario that could head Romania to snap elections - a first time in the Romanian history since the end of Communist rule.
Editor : M.L.
