New prime minister-designate Adrian Veștea said he is confident his proposed government will secure parliamentary approval, claiming he has assurances of support from more than 240 lawmakers. The Liberal politician also pledged to keep unchanged the governing program adopted by former prime minister Ilie Bolojan and the coalition that governed until last month.

President Nicușor Dan nominated Veștea on Sunday morning, June 14, after presidential adviser Eugen Tomac returned his mandate to form a technocratic government, having failed to secure sufficient support from parliamentary parties. Tomac's proposed cabinet faced opposition from the National Liberal Party (PNL), while both the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) expressed doubts that a government lacking a clear political majority could carry out reforms.

In an interview with Euronews Romania, Adrian Veștea argued that the country needs a political government with parliamentary backing after more than a month of political uncertainty.

“We all see that 40 days have passed since the government was dismissed. These have been 40 days of waiting, 40 days with an interim government, and 40 days in which no decisions have been made," Veștea said.

He added that the lesson of recent weeks is that Romania needs a political cabinet capable of governing and implementing difficult decisions.

“We must build a political government. The country needs to be governed and has a series of problems that must be solved as quickly as possible," he said. 

The prime minister-designate added that parliamentary calculations indicate his government can secure enough votes to pass the confidence vote: “Calculations have been made and I have assurances that we will have more than 240 votes.”

Adrian Veștea, who serves as president of the Brașov County Council and vice-president of the PNL, said he accepted the nomination after discussions with president Nicușor Dan and on the condition that the government's program remain unchanged.

“I do not feel like a traitor. I believe this is an act of responsibility," he said. “From the moment I spoke with the president of Romania, I had the option of continuing with the same governing program adopted by Ilie Bolojan, by the PNL, and by the other parties in the coalition. I will not change a single comma.”

President Nicușor Dan described Veștea's nomination as "the best political solution" after consultations with parliamentary parties. He said Romania needs a functioning government and thanked Eugen Tomac for attempting to build a majority.

The nomination, however, has triggered tensions within the political landscape.

Interim prime minister and PNL leader Ilie Bolojan said neither he nor the party leadership had been informed in advance of the president's decision. He described the move as "a hostile act" and "an obvious attempt to split the PNL," announcing that the party's leadership would meet to adopt an official position.

Meanwhile, USR decided not to support a Veștea government, reiterating its decision not to participate in a government alongside the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The party argued that "a government that delivers results for citizens cannot be born from the betrayal of its own party.”

UDMR also withheld support for now. Party leader Kelemen Hunor said the manner of Adrian Veștea's nomination raises questions and that the party will only decide its position after learning what parliamentary majority, governing program, and ministerial team the nominee intends to rely on, according to News.ro.

Romania has been governed by an interim cabinet since the collapse of the Ilie Bolojan government following a no-confidence vote in Parliament on May 5. The motion was backed by former ruling partner PSD and the opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), leading to the fall of the pro-European coalition government formed by PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR.

Now Adrian Veștea needs to come up with a list of ministers and a governing program, which need to be approved by Parliament. If the Parliament rejects the president’s proposal, the process restarts.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Adrian Ioan Veştea)