Romania's opposition leader, confident that no-confidence motion against Govt. will pass

There are enough votes for the no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government of Ludovic Orban to pass, Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of Romania’s largest opposition party, said after a meeting of his party’s leaders on Thursday, August 27.

Ciolacu announced a day earlier that the vote on the motion will take place on Monday, August 31.

“At this moment, there are enough votes for the motion to pass,” Ciolacu said, adding that the votes he counts on don’t include the MPs of the Hungarian Democratic Union (UDMR), Mediafax reported.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) counts on the support of PRO Romania, ALDE, and PPUSL, whose MPs are expected to vote the motion. On paper, they have more than the 233 votes needed for the motion to pass and the Government to be dismissed.

However, Ciolacu is worried about the negotiations carried out by the Liberals with some MPs from these parties, including from his party PSD. Two PSD MPs have left the party recently, according to Mediafax.

UDMR’s support would surely get the motion adopted, but the Hungarian minority leader Kelemen Hunor suggested his party hasn’t decided yet. “We have a thousand reasons to vote against the Government,” he said. However, he is worried that the Liberals could blame those who vote the motion for a potential rise in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths amid the political uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the Popular Movement Party (PMP) will not vote for the motion, according to its leader Eugen Tomac.

If the no-confidence motion fails, the PSD considers initiating a new one in September, Marcel Ciolacu said. However, this is unlikely, given that local elections are set for September 27.

(Photo source: Facebook/Marcel Ciolacu)