Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) has launched a new round of internal consultations on whether to remain part of the ruling coalition, senior party figure and Craiova mayor Lia Olguța Vasilescu said, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro.

The debate over continued participation in government has become a recurring issue within the PSD. The party’s central leadership, led by president Sorin Grindeanu, has favoured preserving the coalition until a planned transfer of the prime ministership in April 2027.

By contrast, more radical factions, including several local leaders, have argued for ending the current coalition arrangement, particularly under Liberal (PNL) prime minister Ilie Bolojan and with the reformist Save Romania Union (USR) as a governing partner, without putting forward a clear alternative strategy.

The PSD leadership held its first post-Christmas meeting on January 19, reviewing several contentious items on the government’s agenda. These included the 2026 state budget, where the PSD has advocated the inclusion of progressive taxation elements, the planned reform of public administration, and the EU–Mercosur trade agreement, which the party opposes.

Vasilescu criticised the prime minister’s approach, suggesting it undermines cooperation within the coalition. 

“Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan gives us reasons to understand that we cannot form a team,” she said.

She also accused the central government of failing to allocate sufficient funding for the refurbishment of Craiova’s centralised heating system, a dispute that has added to tensions between the PSD and its coalition partners.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Lia Olguta Vasilescu)