No-confidence vote against the Liberal Government

Ludovic Orban's Liberal Cabinet is today facing a no-confidence vote in Parliament

Corina Cristea, 31.08.2020, 14:00

233 votes in favor are needed for the no-confidence motion filed against the
Liberal Government to pass. The Social-Democrats in opposition, who were
removed from power at the end of last year, claim they have the necessary votes
to topple the Government, whom they accuse of losing control over the
epidemiological developments in Romania, destroying the economy, which resulted
in a collapse of the population’s living standards. The Social-Democratic Party
says it has devised a realistic governing program. With details on that, here
is Social-Democrat vice-president, Sorin Grindeanu:

The
Social-Democratic Party’s top three priorities are healthcare, education and
the economy. We virtually elaborated this program in response to four
fundamental issues: the professional management of the health crisis, opening
schools safely, re-launching the economy and increasing Romanians’ income.

The Liberals in
turn accuse the Social-Democrats of acting irresponsibly, trying to use the
health crisis to serve their interests in the upcoming election. The Liberals
have referred the vote to the Constitutional Court, saying they are expecting
until September 1 a ruling on an alleged legal conflict between the Government
and Parliament. Meanwhile, both sides are making their own calculations, and
negotiations have so far been fierce. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban:

As you well
know, negotiations are not public. You have to wait for the result. I wouldn’t
call it a no-confidence motion per se, I would call it an attempt from the
Social-Democrats to poison Romania once again.

After quickly
rallying the support of the PRO Romania Party and the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats, the Social-Democratic Party hopes the vote will improve their
position in the polls ahead of the local election due on September 27, as well
as for the legislative election later this year, some pundits have argued. The
Social-Democrats have lost nearly half of the election score obtained in the
legislative election of 2016. Toppling the Orban Cabinet does not mean the
Social-Democrats will come to power, says President Klaus Iohannis, who has
made it clear on numerous occasions he would not appoint a Social-Democratic
Prime Minister, even if the party would make up a ruling coalition. A potential
interim mandate ensured by the Liberals would however limit their governing possibilities,
as the Cabinet would no longer have the power to issue emergency decrees, an
instrument which the Liberals have used frequently in the absence of a majority
in Parliament. The other parties in opposition, the Save Romania Union and the
People’s Movement Party, announced they would vote against the
Social-Democrats’ motion. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has not yet
made public its voting intentions.

(Translated by
V. Palcu)