Romania’s parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government, following the withdrawal of support by the Social Democratic Party and the resignation of seven PSD ministers.
Romania’s parliament is due to vote on Tuesday on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, deepening a political crisis triggered by the withdrawal of the Social Democratic Party from the ruling coalition.
The joint plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate is scheduled to begin at 11am, with the vote to be held by secret ballot. The motion was initiated by the Social Democrats, PSD, and the hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, AUR, after PSD withdrew its support for Bolojan and seven of its ministers resigned from the cabinet in late April, according to Reuters.
The motion accuses Bolojan’s government of damaging the economy, impoverishing the population and enabling what its signatories describe as the fraudulent sale of state assets. Its main political theme is the alleged sale of state-owned companies, an issue that has featured prominently in recent attacks on the prime minister. The text also criticises the government over an increase in VAT, the removal of tax privileges for several categories of workers, and inflation, Romanian broadcaster Digi24 reported.
The initiative was signed by 254 parliamentarians from PSD, AUR, POT, PACE and independents. However, the parliamentary arithmetic has become less clear in recent days after several signatories said they would not support the motion in the final vote. Six MPs elected on POT lists, now associated with UNIT, said they would not back a motion “without solutions”, arguing that its sponsors had failed to explain what would follow if the government fell.
The threshold for removing the government is 233 votes in Romania’s 464-seat parliament. PSD and AUR together do not have enough votes on their own. Digi24 reported that PSD has 129 senators and deputies, while AUR has 90, giving the two parties a combined total of 219. They therefore need at least 14 additional votes from smaller opposition groups, independents, or defectors.
The smaller parties may prove decisive. The PACE–Întâi România group had earlier indicated that it would support the motion, although at least one PACE senator, Liviu Fodoca, has since said he will not vote for it. SOS România, led by Diana Şoşoacă, has also become a point of uncertainty. Digi24 reported on Tuesday that Şoşoacă had announced SOS parliamentarians would vote for the motion, a shift from earlier indications that the party would not support it.
Bolojan has presented the motion as evidence of an emerging PSD-AUR alignment, warning in a Digi24 interview that Romania could face prolonged instability if the government is removed. He has also accused PSD of misrepresenting the government’s record, pointing out that the Social Democrats had been part of the administration for most of its recent term.
The crisis comes at a sensitive economic moment for Romania. Bolojan’s minority government is seeking reforms intended to secure access to more than €10 billion in EU recovery funds and reduce the budget deficit, which stood at more than 9 per cent in 2024. Business groups have warned that renewed instability could threaten Romania’s investment-grade credit rating and increase borrowing costs.
PSD has said it is prepared to return to a pro-European governing formula, but not under Bolojan’s leadership. AUR, meanwhile, has sought to use the crisis to press its wider opposition to the current pro-European establishment. Although the two parties have jointly sponsored the no-confidence motion, PSD has not committed itself to forming a government with AUR if the motion succeeds.
If the motion passes, President Nicuşor Dan would be expected to begin consultations on the formation of a new government. One possible scenario would be an attempt to assemble another pro-European coalition under a different Liberal or technocratic prime minister. If Bolojan survives, his government will still face a further parliamentary test within 45 days because interim ministerial mandates are due to expire.
Tuesday’s vote will therefore determine not only the immediate survival of the Bolojan cabinet, but also the direction of Romania’s fragile parliamentary balance. With several small groups shifting position and negotiations continuing until the last moment, the outcome remains uncertain.
