Bucharest, Feb 28 The Romanian Parliament rejected a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's government on Friday.
The motion, initiated Tuesday by opposition parties Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), S.O.S. Romania, and the Party of Young People (POT), received 147 votes in favour and one against, falling short of the 233 votes needed for adoption.
Lawmakers from the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Union Save Romania (USR), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), and minority groups abstained from voting.
Under Romania's Constitution, lawmakers who supported the failed motion cannot initiate another in the same parliamentary session unless the government assumes responsibility under Article 114.
The motion argued that the government imposed by former President Klaus Iohannis, who had resigned in early February after being in power for only two months, has no legitimacy and is marked by abuses and failures, Xinhua news agency reported.
The motion also links Prime Minister Ciolacu and his cabinet to the Nordis scandal, alleging a massive fraud affecting nearly 1,000 Romanians.
Entitled "Prime Minister NORDIS must go, Romanians are tired of humiliation," the motion was backed by non-affiliated MPs, and one representative from ethnic minorities, according to AUR leader George Simion.
"We no longer want corruption, we no longer want Iliescu's successors in power," Simion had said earlier this week, urging broader support from minority lawmakers.
The motion came amid escalating political tensions, with opposition leaders accusing the government of undermining democracy.
Prime Minister Ciolacu's coalition government was sworn in on December 23, 2024, after securing a parliamentary vote of confidence. It consists of 16 ministries and three deputy Prime Minister positions.
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