Romanian government survives motion of no confidence
Romania’s government survived a motion of no confidence on June 12, as most MPs from the ruling coalition did not cast ballots in the vote. The motion received 194 votes in favour against 13 opposed, but needed the support of 278 MPs to pass.
The outcome of the vote came as no surprise, with social-democrat prime minister Victor Ponta seen as still in control of the coalition backing the cabinet.
The motion itself was filed over the government’s alleged failures in organising the presidential elections in November 2014, with the opposition claiming that the cabinet deliberately sought to limit the voting rights of expatriate Romanians by not setting up enough voting precinct abroad.
Ponta lost the election in a run-off against Klaus Iohannis despite taking a strong lead in the first round, with the issue of voting queues abroad seen as a major factor that led to the increased voter turnout and Ponta’s defeat.
The vote caps a tumultuous week for Ponta himself, who was the subject of another motion earlier this week, in which the lower house of parliament rejected a request by the head of anti-corruption prosecution DNA to press charges of conflict of interest against the prime minister.
(Romania’s houses of parliament, photo: George M. Groutas/flickr.com)
