The parliament Romanian approved Tuesday, October 5, 2021 a motion of censure against the liberal government, paving the way for a period of political instability in the middle of the fourth wave of Covid-19.
The motion was adopted by 281 votes, significantly more than the 234 required, according to official results.
In place since the December elections, Prime Minister Florin Citu, a 49-year-old former banker, had in recent months become the pet peeve of both right and left.
Unlikely allies in normal times, the elected members of the USR (center right), former member of the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party (PSD, opposition) and the far-right AUR party voted together to remove the ‘executive. The liberals (PNL, in power) boycotted the vote, denouncing an action irresponsible
of these three formations.
What will you gain by plunging the country into chaos?
, had launched the Prime Minister, at the beginning of the session of the Parliament, by addressing the parties having tabled this motion.
And to ensure that the next executive would always be formed around liberal values
, before leaving Parliament without waiting for the result of the vote.
Towards new elections?
His government will continue to act in the interim until the center-right president Klaus Iohannis designates a new Prime Minister. But that will require it to find a majority, a task that promises to be complicated.
Despite strained relations in recent weeks, the USR has declared itself open to a new alliance with Florin Citu’s party, on condition that the latter is not nominated as head of the future government.
However, according to several voices within the PNL, Klaus Iohannis would consider re-appointing him to this post, playing on the aversion of elected officials to possible early elections. Florin Citu is our choice for the short, medium and long term
, said Sunday MEP Rares Bogdan, close to Klaus Iohannis. According to the Constitution, the head of state can dissolve parliament if elected officials reject two candidates for prime minister within 60 days.
Carried by the polls, the PSD is the only party to wish for legislative elections and has already announced that it will not support any Prime Minister from the liberal camp.
Covid-19, fatal fire … Romania already in crisis
This new political crisis comes as Romania is faced with a sharp rise in new Covid-19 contaminations, with several doctors citing war conditions
in the hospital.
More than 15,000 new cases and 252 deaths were recorded in 24 hours on Tuesday, record figures since the start of the pandemic, which has killed 37,929 people.
Romania was bereaved by a new tragedy on Friday: a fire ravaged the intensive care unit of a hospital in the south-east, killing seven people, the third fatal sinister affecting a hospital in less than a year. Despite the worsening health crisis, the vaccination campaign is struggling to convince, only a third of the 19 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated to date.
As the cold begins, the population seems more worried about a surge in gas and electricity bills. The government has promised to offset part of this increase for poor households.
But, in this country among the poorest in the European Union, the purchasing power of a large fringe of the population has already been eaten away by inflation at its highest since 2011, ie 5.3% in August.
The pressure on the standard of living is obvious. Alongside the fourth wave of the pandemic, rising bills, the shock of which will be fully felt in December, is the main source of concern for Romanians
, sociologist Iulian Stanescu told AFP.
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