May 5, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 05.05.2026, 20:05
MOTION – In a joint plenary session on Tuesday, the Romanian Parliament adopted the motion of censure initiated by the PSD parliamentary groups (recently withdrawn from co government), AUR (the nationalist opposition), and PACE – Întâi România (formed by deputies and senators who left the populist parties SOS Romania and POT). The no-confidence vote targeted the declared pro Western PNL–USR–UDMR government led by liberal prime minister Ilie Bolojan. A total of 281 parliamentarians voted in favor of the motion. Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies together have 465 members, and 233 votes were required for the motion to pass and the government to be dismissed.
REACTIONS – Following the dismissal of the government, President Nicușor Dan announced the start of negotiations to form a new executive. He gave assurances that Romania would have a new pro Western government within a reasonable timeframe and ruled out the possibility of early elections. Earlier, immediately after the parliamentary vote, PSD President Sorin Grindeanu stated that the motion of censure against the government led by Ilie Bolojan had passed with a record number of votes. He emphasized that the parties that had previously formed the governing coalition now bore the responsibility of building a new majority. In turn, PNL Secretary General Dan Motreanu argued that, having jointly secured a parliamentary majority to topple the government, PSD and AUR now had the obligation to assume responsibility for governing, present a candidate for prime minister, and outline a coherent program. “In the economy, any signal of political chaos quickly translates into real costs for people,” he wrote on a social platform. The president of the Save Romania Union (USR), Dominic Fritz, acknowledged that the motion had succeeded but insisted that USR would not allow “PSD and AUR to drag Romania back into the past.” He reiterated that the party would not negotiate the formation of a new government with PSD, given the Social Democrats’ direct role in bringing down the Bolojan cabinet. Meanwhile, Varujan Pambuccian, leader of the parliamentary group representing national minorities, argued that PSD and PNL should once again form the core of a governing coalition. In turn, AUR President George Simion declared that his party is prepared to assume responsibility for forming a future government.
CURRENCY – Romania’s national currency, the leu, continued to depreciate amid ongoing political uncertainty. On the interbank market, the euro climbed above 5.21 lei, following last week’s close at the lowest level in the leu’s history. Analysts warn that the currency remains highly vulnerable under the pressure of the crisis that began at the end of April. They note that in such periods, depreciation tends to occur rapidly, while any subsequent recovery against the euro is often only partial. Financial expert Adrian Codirlaşu stated on public television that all Romanian assets have lost value and that the situation may persist given the elevated level of uncertainty. “Romania has two major deficits – the current account and the budget. They are unsustainable, and the rating agencies point this out, noting that their high levels push us out of the category of investment grade countries. What keeps us afloat is our EU membership, particularly access to European funds,” Codirlaşu emphasized.
NRRP – The Romanian Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragoș Pîslaru, announced that the analysis of Payment Request No. 4 under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has been completed, with no issues identified. The request, worth 2.62 billion euros, places Romania “among the leading countries in terms of PNRR absorption,” the minister stated. On Monday, the Government approved two emergency ordinances designed to give local authorities implementing NRRP projects faster access to funds. The measures target projects in health, education, digitization, and infrastructure. All projects must be finalized by the end of the summer to ensure Romania does not risk losing the allocated European money.
SUMMIT – Meeting for two days in the Armenian capital at the European Political Community Summit, European leaders emphasized that global instability and increasingly strained relations with the U.S. administration require a coordinated and strategic approach to security. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that Europe must accelerate defense production to strengthen its military capabilities, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky underlined that Europe must be prepared to counter any threat. Romania was represented at the summit by President Nicușor Dan. He co-chaired the roundtable on “Democratic Resilience and Hybrid Threats,” hosted an informal discussion on the impact of the Vertical Gas Corridor on regional energy security, took part in a new meeting of the coordination group for the Republic of Moldova, and held several bilateral discussions. (EE)
