The impasse on the political scene in Romania continues in anticipation of a proposal for a new candidate for prime minister after the return of the mandate from the first nominee, Eugen Tomac, and the failure of the second candidate, Adrian Vecea, to gather parliamentary support, according to Digi 24 TV, quoted by BTA.
The leaders of the collapsed broad pro-European coalition are failing to reach a political agreement to support a government in parliament, even though the head of state summoned them to the presidency on Friday and met with them face to face. The pressure to form a government with full powers is increasing, as tomorrow is the last day of the parliamentary session, after which deputies and senators go on vacation, the media outlet points out.
Romania has been in a political crisis since the pro-European broad coalition, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the National Liberal Party (NLP), the “Union for the Salvation of Romania“ (SSR), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (DUHR) and the group of national minorities, collapsed in early May. The Social Democrats subsequently initiated a vote of no confidence together with the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR), which led to the ouster of Prime Minister Ilie Bologian's cabinet.
Bologian's government is operating with limited powers, and parliament has already rejected one nomination for prime minister and government. The Romanian constitution allows for early parliamentary elections if parliament rejects two proposals for a prime minister and a government within 60 days. Romania has never faced such a situation before.
Following Adrian Veștea's failure to secure a parliamentary majority in the June 22 vote, President Nikușor Dan invited all parties represented in parliament to new consultations before the next nomination of a candidate for prime minister.
After the consultations, two options for a minority government emerged: around the largest parliamentary force - the Social Democratic Party, and around the formations that currently support the government of Ilie Bologian. The Social Democrats proposed their leader Sorin Grindeanu as prime minister, and at the last minute the liberals, the reformists from the SSR and the party of ethnic Hungarians proposed as a candidate the MEP from the National Liberal Party Siegfried Mureşan.
This led to a new deadlock in the negotiations, and President Nikusor Dan noted that the National Liberal Party had changed its position.
„We are back to the political impasse that we thought had been overcome on Tuesday. Based on the positions of the parties during the consultations, there was only one formula that seemed capable of receiving the support of a parliamentary majority: a minority government led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP). On Tuesday, the National Liberal Party (NLP) pledged to support with its votes such a minority government of the SDP under certain conditions related to the governing program. "However, from Tuesday to today, the NLP has changed its position," Nikushor Dan wrote in Ex late on Friday (June 26).
Political parties continue to seek a way out of the crisis, local media reported. The head of state called on them to return to dialogue and agree among themselves on a parliamentary majority for a governing formula that they consider appropriate.
Digi 24 television points out that at present, neither of the two options for a minority government has the necessary number of votes in parliament to take office. The coalition around the liberals has 168 votes out of the required minimum of 233, while a single-party government of the Social Democrats could gather 144 votes if supported by the group of national minorities (17 votes). The Social Democratic Party could attract votes from supporters of Adrian Vescia who broke away from the National Liberal Party and from smaller sovereigntist parties, but even then the Social Democrats would only collect 208 votes, the television station estimates.