Romania’s proposed Siegfried Mureșan government faces confidence vote without clear majority

Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed government failed to win Parliament’s confidence, receiving 182 votes in favour and 15 against from a total of 197 votes cast. At least 233 votes were required for the cabinet to be installed.

President Nicușor Dan is now expected to nominate another candidate for prime minister, his fourth since the political crisis began. A new round of consultations with parliamentary parties could take place next week, according to sources cited by Euronews Romania.

The decisive confidence vote on Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed government began. Lawmakers are voting by secret ballot using one white and one black ball. Placing each ball in the matching-colour ballot box represents a vote in favour, while placing them in the opposite-colour boxes represents a vote against the cabinet.

Representatives of the reformist Save Romania Union (USR) and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR confirmed that their parties would vote in favour of Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed cabinet, according to Biziday.ro.

UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor said it was unacceptable that Romania had remained without a fully empowered government for 148 days. “Society no longer has patience with us,” he warned, arguing that prolonged political paralysis was eroding trust in institutions and could drive voters toward extremist and populist movements.

“Romania needs a government,” Kelemen said, reiterating UDMR’s support for the proposed cabinet.

Interim prime minister and National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ilie Bolojan was booed before addressing Parliament, where he urged lawmakers to back Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed cabinet.

Bolojan described the new government as a credible way out of the political crisis and argued that it would preserve the reforms and fiscal adjustments undertaken over the past year. He said his caretaker cabinet had been removed not because it departed from its governing programme, but because it sought to complete reforms and stop public funds from being diverted to political patronage networks.

“If you reject this programme and choose crisis again, as you did in May, how can you claim to care about the country?” Bolojan asked, as reported by Hontews.ro. He warned that another rejection could prolong the instability and expose Romania to penalties from financial markets, calling on MPs to “be part of the solution.”

Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu left the chamber during Ilie Bolojan’s speech and declined to speak to reporters.

Far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) leader George Simion also confirmed during the parliamentary debate that his party would vote against Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed government.

“Our answer is no,” Simion told lawmakers, calling for early elections and urging parliamentarians elected on sovereigntist platforms to reject the cabinet. He also linked AUR’s position to the detention of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, saying the party would not support any government formula until Georgescu is released.

Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu reiterated during the parliamentary debate that his party would vote against Siegfried Mureșan’s proposed cabinet.

Grindeanu blamed the center-right parties for prolonging Romania’s political crisis, which has lasted 150 days, and described the proposed executive as a repackaged version of the former Ilie Bolojan government that never had a realistic prospect of securing a majority. “PSD will not vote for it,” he said, also warning that continuing down the path toward early elections could severely weaken the governing parties.

The Parliament began debating the proposed government of prime minister-designate Siegfried Mureșan at 13:00 on Wednesday. A total of 313 of the country’s 464 senators and deputies are present, according to media reports.

Mureșan opened the debate by presenting his governing programme. “We have a choice between a Romania that moves forward and one that stands still. Our country is more stable today than it was a year ago. We must take the next step and move from stabilisation to growth,” he told lawmakers.