No-confidence vote in Bucharest
The ruling coalition government is facing its first vote of no-confidence after its inauguration
Bogdan Matei, 26.02.2025, 14:00
On Tuesday, AUR, SOS and POT MPs from the so-called sovereignist opposition in the Bucharest Parliament called for the first vote of no-confidence against the PSD-PNL-UDMR government, installed at the end of December and led by Social-Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The motion is titled “Prime Minister Nordis must go, Romanians are fed up with humiliation” – a reference to the alleged connections between Ciolacu and the perpetrators of a far-reaching real estate scam. Earlier this month, former PSD deputy Laura Vicol and her husband, businessman Vladimir Ciorbă, were placed under pre-trial arrest. Three other defendants were also placed under house arrest in the same case. In the case of six others suspects, the court ordered house arrest or judicial proceedings.
The investigation by anti-mafia prosecutors from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) targets 40 individuals and 32 companies, accused of having collected over €195 million from individuals or legal entities, but not delivering the apartments and parking spaces for which the clients had paid. According to investigators, there were also cases where the same apartment was sold to several clients. The political boss of Laura Vicol, who served as president of the legal committee in the Chamber of Deputies in the previous legislature, Prime Minister Ciolacu admitted that he flew to France and Spain on private jets, together with the former deputy and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, is reported to have joined them on these trips.
Motion initiators say that the current government is illegitimate, has lost its credibility, precisely as certain cabinet members are associated with the Nordis investigation. The opposition says the Cabinet does not observe its own governing program, where it promised, among other things, to increase allowances and pensions. The government is already accumulating a shameful record of abuses and failures, which demonstrates the total rupture between political power and the Romanian people – the nationalist opposition also says.
Also in the opposition, the pro-European USR party announced it would not vote the motion. USR says that the motion has zero chances of passing, and the entire opposition is missing the chance to initiate a procedure to dismiss the Government in the current parliamentary session. Representatives of the majority coalition say that Romania needs serious solutions, not image strategies, and have promised to create a shield around Ciolacu and his team. Moreover, the Social-Democrat and Liberal leaders say that any defections from the ruling majority will be punished without mercy, and whoever votes in favor of the motion will be expelled from the party. AUR, SOS and POT have a combined 154 MPs in the current legislature. However, for the motion to pass, 232 votes in favor are required, tantamount to half plus one of the total number of senators and deputies. (VP)
