Update: Luca Niculescu’s proposed government faces confidence vote in Romanian Parliament

The Parliament approved prime minister-designate Luca Niculescu’s government, ending more than five months of political crisis. The cabinet received 280 votes in favor and 58 against, comfortably exceeding the 233 required for confirmation. All 338 ballots cast were valid.

Luca Niculescu and his ministers will next be sworn in before president Nicușor Dan, after which the new government can formally take office.

UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor confirmed that his party would support the proposed government under a political agreement while moving into opposition.

He warned that Romania continued to face an economic crisis, while social tensions, political polarization, and fuel-supply problems were adding pressure on the population.

He said UDMR had signed the agreement out of responsibility and to protect the interests of the Hungarian community. However, the government would need to negotiate with the party separately on each bill and emergency ordinance.

Kelemen Hunor also argued that parties offering the cabinet limited support from the opposition must provide an alternative based on dialogue rather than hatred, radicalism or violence.

“This is the last chance for a democratic Romania in which every Romanian can hope that tomorrow will be better,” he said, as quoted by Hotnews.ro.

Former minister Radu Miruță (USR) said his party’s objection to the proposed government was not directed at Luca Niculescu personally but at what he described as PSD’s growing control over state institutions. “The problem with this government is not the prime minister’s name, but the PSD-ization of state institutions,” he told Parliament.

He criticized PSD’s record in government since 1990, linking it to Romania’s emigration, industrial decline, and allegations involving party leaders’ use of private aircraft. Then, he contrasted that record with USR’s activity in government, claiming the party had helped revive five industrial facilities affected by previous decisions.

“USR will not vote for this government,” he concluded.

Former prime minister and PNL leader Ilie Bolojan said the Liberals would give Luca Niculescu’s proposed cabinet a “vote of necessity,” despite strong reservations about PSD and several ministerial nominees.

Bolojan defended his outgoing interim administration, saying it had worked to keep Romania financially stable. He argued that the parties that removed his government had subsequently failed to produce a viable governing alternative.

“We face a choice: prolong the political crisis or end it,” Bolojan told lawmakers, Digi24 reported. He rejected George Simion’s suggestion that PNL was being pressured into supporting the cabinet, stating: “We are not being blackmailed.”

Further on, Ilie Bolojan said citizens should not suffer because of political leaders’ actions and called on the next government to control spending and make the state more efficient.

He also responded sharply to PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu, accusing the Social Democrats of trying to blame the previous government for structural problems that had developed over a longer period.

Bolojan also criticized several proposed ministers who had served in his cabinet, questioning their records on public-sector pay reform, healthcare financing, and changes to magistrates’ pensions.

He told Luca Niculescu that resolving Romania’s structural problems would be difficult with PSD’s backing, accusing the party of previously obstructing public-sector reform. Despite those objections, Bolojan confirmed that PNL would vote for the cabinet to bring the five-month political crisis to an end.

Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) leader George Simion said his party would cast no votes in favor of Luca Niculescu’s proposed government.

“There is no need to maintain the suspense,” Simion told Parliament, as reported by Hotnews.ro “You know very well how many votes you will receive from AUR for this new puppet government: the same number as the previous ones - zero.”

He also appealed to lawmakers, particularly members of PNL, to reject the cabinet. He claimed the proposed government would continue policies that had made the population poorer.

“I appeal to all lawmakers with a backbone,” he said. “Do not tarnish yourselves by voting for this government. Remain loyal to those who elected you.”

The AUR leader accused PSD and PNL of staging political disagreements over the past five months before ultimately coming together to support the same cabinet. Addressing former prime minister Ilie Bolojan directly, George Simion asked why PNL had agreed to back the new government.

Simion also used his speech to demand “freedom for Călin Georgescu,” alleging that authorities had engaged in political policing and harassment. He criticized legal measures affecting Georgescu and his family, describing asset seizures as abusive.

Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu welcomed the departure of Ilie Bolojan’s government but said Romanians would continue to bear the cost of its policies.

"I’ll give you the first piece of good news: the Bolojan government is leaving,” Grindeanu told lawmakers, as quoted by Digi24.

He further stated that Romania needed a change of direction and called for an urgent audit of public finances. The, he urged the proposed government to reduce waste, begin reforming the public administration, and evaluate the tax authority based on its results, including its efforts against large-scale tax evasion.

The PSD leader also accused reformist party USR of mismanagement involving state-owned companies and defense-related contracts, saying the new government should disclose relevant decisions and spending. His claims were presented without supporting evidence during the speech.

Addressing PNL lawmakers, Sorin Grindeanu argued that PSD had previously supported the Liberals during difficult political periods and said it was now time for them to return that support.

“Your vote today, dear Liberal colleagues, makes you equally responsible for the success of the new government,” he said.

Turning to the prime minister-designate, Grindeanu added: “Mr. Niculescu, you have a program, you have a team and you have a motivated PSD.”

“Today, we are not voting only on a government,” he concluded. “We are voting for the chance to change a direction that has done great harm to Romania.”

The Parliament’s joint session on the proposed Luca Niculescu government began shortly after 2 p.m., with 323 of Romania’s 464 lawmakers present. The prime minister-designate was greeted with applause as he took the podium to present his governing program.

“Romania has no more time to lose,” he said, as quoted by Digi24, arguing that a favorable vote would end five months of political paralysis and interim government. He argued that he accepted the mandate as an independent because the country could no longer afford a prolonged crisis.

Niculescu also pledged to focus immediately on the budget revision, the 2027 state budget, energy security, and the completion of Romania’s EU-funded recovery plan without losing available financing. He also promised to index pensions beginning in 2027 and protect vulnerable groups, while stopping short of promising an immediate recovery of lost purchasing power.

Moreover, the proposed government would seek to reduce waste at state agencies, combat tax evasion and modernize the tax and customs authorities. Niculescu argued that Romania’s economic model had reached its limits, saying growth could no longer depend indefinitely on borrowing, consumption, and imports.

On foreign policy, he reaffirmed Romania’s commitments to NATO, the European Union and its strategic partnership with the United States. He also pledged continued support for Moldova’s accession to the EU.

“I am an independent prime minister, but a government cannot function without parliamentary support,” Niculescu said. “Today’s vote is not a blank check.”