Romania's government falls after historic no-confidence vote
Romania's parliament has voted to oust the Bolojan government in what is being described as the most decisive no-confidence motion in the country's history.
Of the 431 lawmakers present in the 464-seat chamber, 281 backed the motion — brought jointly by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) — comfortably clearing the 233-vote threshold needed to topple the government.
Senate President Mircea Abrudean confirmed the cabinet had been formally dismissed and said the outcome would be conveyed to the president, who is now expected to nominate a new prime minister. In the meantime, the outgoing administration will stay on in a caretaker capacity, limited to routine business.
The vote capped a fractious parliamentary session marked by tactical abstentions and walkouts. A number of MPs — and even sitting ministers — registered as present but declined to cast a ballot, while others left the chamber before proceedings concluded.
In a defiant speech shortly before the result, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan insisted his programme of spending cuts had drawn the ire of vested political interests resistant to change.
The fallout exposed deep divisions across Romania's political spectrum. The National Liberal Party (PNL) warned the coalition's collapse risked a period of damaging instability. The Union to Save Romania (USR) said it would refuse to enter any governing arrangement that included the PSD, accusing both the social democrats and AUR of obstructing reform.
The PSD, for its part, struck a conciliatory tone, signalling its willingness to move swiftly to form a new government and resume coalition negotiations. It also called on Mr Bolojan to step aside. AUR cast the result as a watershed moment, declaring the party ready to assume the responsibilities of office.
