Political crisis in Romania
In Bucharest, the Liberal Ilie Bolojan continues his mandate as prime minister even after PSD withdrew their support.
Corina Cristea, 21.04.2026, 14:00
The decision of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party in Romania’s ruling coalition, to withdraw their support for the Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan took place on Monday, following the decision of 97.7% of the 5,000 Social Democrats who voted in an internal consultation organized by the party leader, Sorin Grindeanu. PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR began working together ten months ago, taking on the difficult task of improving an economy burdened by a high budget deficit and rising inflation. The chosen course of action consisted of unpopular austerity measures, which PSD have been publicly condemning for months.
In his address to PSD members, Sorin Grindeanu levelled strong accusations at the prime minister, alleging damage to the economy and a decline in people’s purchasing power: “This disastrous government management must stop. Today we must make a change before it is too late. Too late for the billions from the NRRP, too late for any hope of economic recovery this year, too late to be able to recover the collapse of the living standards of every Romanian. We need a new economic and social model, put into practice by a man who also likes dialogue, not just power.”
PM Ilie Bolojan criticized the Social Democrats’ decision and stated that he would continue to serve as prime minister to maintain governmental stability. He emphasized that all decisions taken so far were agreed upon by every party in the coalition, including PSD: “We will continue to ensure governance so that we can guide the country through this difficult period. It is an irresponsible decision, especially given the international context, because we are facing overlapping crises. In addition to the challenges caused by the stagnation of the European economy in recent years, we are dealing with the crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East, as well as our own deficit issues. Any statesman who considers himself responsible in such times seeks to strengthen his country and its economy, not weaken it, as is happening through the decisions taken by PSD.”
USR also criticized the Social Democrats’ decision, arguing that it comes at a moment when Romania urgently needs European funds to continue its reforms. USR president, Dominic Fritz, said that “contracts worth 16 billion euros are about to be signed for the SAFE program. More than 10 billion euros from the NRRP are at stake. There are reforms that must be carried out in state institutions, and it seems that the real issue for the PSD is that it has lost control over these sums of money,” Dominic Fritz explained.
The president of UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, suggested that PSD’s stance is inappropriate and pointed to Romania’s difficult economic context. UDMR announced that it will neither withdraw its ministers from the current cabinet nor support a motion of censure against the Government. In the opposition, AUR said that it wants early elections, and its leader, George Simion, stated that the party will submit its own motion of censure. Acting as mediator, the country’s president, Nicușor Dan, has said he will hold as many consultations as necessary to identify a stable solution for the country. (EE)
