President Nicușor Dan began consultations with the ruling coalition parties on Wednesday, April 22, following the Social Democratic Party’s decision to withdraw its support for Liberal (PNL) prime minister Ilie Bolojan. After separate talks with the president, Bolojan said he would remain in office, while PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu warned the party could move into opposition if no agreement is reached.

The talks aim to identify a path forward as the governing coalition, formed roughly 10 months ago by four pro-European parties (PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR), appears close to collapse. PSD’s decision to withdraw its support for Ilie Bolojan was backed by more than 97% of around 5,000 party representatives, with leaders criticizing the government’s performance, particularly on fiscal and state-owned company reforms.

After meeting the president, prime minister Bolojan reaffirmed that he will continue to exercise his mandate, stressing the need for stability and for advancing key reforms tied to European funding. He also reiterated plans to support essential legislation through Parliament, including measures required under Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Facility commitments.

“We had a good dialogue and I assured the president of the responsibility of the National Liberal Party and of myself personally to ensure the governance of the country and to do what is necessary to generate stability, to correct what is not working properly, and to carry out reforms in order to create conditions for prosperity for Romania’s citizens in the coming years,” Ilie Bolojan said, as quoted by Agerpres.

Meanwhile, Sorin Grindeanu said PSD remains open to continuing a pro-European coalition, but only with a different prime minister. He warned that if positions cannot be aligned, the party could withdraw into opposition and refuse to support a minority government, although it would continue backing Romania’s international commitments.

“The international commitments that Romania has undertaken - regardless of who is prime minister or when they were made - whether we are talking about the National Recovery and Resilience Plan or financial commitments with the European Commission and other international bodies, regardless of PSD’s position, in power or in opposition, we support the fulfillment of these international commitments,” he also said, according to news agency Agerpres.

The consultations could lead to several scenarios, including the formation of a minority government with a limited mandate, renegotiation of a parliamentary majority, or a no-confidence vote. 

Digi24 reported that PSD has prepared a plan to exit Ilie Bolojan’s government, according to sources. The Social Democrat ministers are expected to resign ahead of Thursday’s cabinet meeting, and the party could subsequently file a motion of no confidence. The opposition, far-right party AUR is also planning a no-confidence motion. 

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photos: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)