Romania’s Parliament to vote new Government today

Romania’s Parliament will vote today (Monday, November 4) the new Government led by prime minister-designate Ludovic Orban. The plenary session is scheduled to start at 14:00.

Orban, who is also the leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), has signed protocols with most opposition parties to support his cabinet, thus securing about 225 votes. Besides PNL, Save Romania Union (USR), the Popular Movement Party (PMP), the Democrat Hungarian Union (UDMR), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), and MPs representing the national minorities have announced they will vote the new Government.

However, Orban needs 233 to have his cabinet endorsed and the former ruling party – the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and PRO Romania, the party of former prime minister Victor Ponta, announced they would not vote the new Government. Even so, some members of PRO Romania and PSD could ignore party orders and vote the new cabinet. Sorin Cimpeanu and Daniel Constantin, two of PRO Romania’s vice presidents and six others of the party’s MPs could vote the new Government, according to party sources quoted by G4Media.ro. PRO Romania also voted the no-confidence motion against PM Viorica Dancila’s Social Democrat Government, but Victor Ponta, a former PSD leader, would have liked to form a new majority around PSD and PRO Romania, without Viorica Dancila and her team.

In total, Orban counts on 238-239 votes to have his cabinet invested, according to Adevarul.ro, which is about the same number of MPs that voted for the dismissal of the Viorica Dancila cabinet.

If the liberals fail, however, to gather the needed majority, the investment of a new cabinet will be postponed until after the presidential elections. The cabinet of dismissed PM Viorica Dancila is currently ensuring the basic governing functions, with limited powers.

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