</s>The no-confidence motion against the Grindeanu Government will undergo a Parliament vote today starting 11 AM.

If it passes, the Government will be replaced. For this to happen, 233 MPs out of a total of 464 need to support the motion.

This is a premiere for Romanian politics, as the governing coalition is trying to remove its own Government.

The current crisis began last week, after Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu refused to resign, although the Government had lost the governing coalition support.

The Social-Democratic Party (PSD) and its ally ALDE have in total 244 MPs in the Parliament. The majority of them are expected to vote in favour of this motion. The number of MPs who support Grindeanu is hard to estimate, given the recent rift inside the ruling party.

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea said that the party decided to withdraw support for Grindeanu as he failed to implement most of the measures provided in the governing program. Critics, however, have argued that Dragnea is trying to name a more obedient PM.</s>Romania's prime minister and his government have been ousted in a no-confidence vote submitted by ruling party members.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the motion Wednesday (21 June), more than the 233 votes required. The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion to oust Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, saying that he had failed to implement the party's political agenda.

Grindeanu had refused to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance. He claims powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea wants to remove him in order to have a party loyalist as premier.

Dragnea is barred from being prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

Grindeanu, who studied at Leeds Beckett University among other institutions, became Prime Minister of Romania on 4 January 2017. His time in power was marred by protests targeting his government's attempts to decriminalise certain types of official misconduct, including in cases where the financial damage is less than £38,000.</s>The no-confidence motion “Romania cannot be confiscated. We defend democracy and the Romanians’ vote” is due to be debated and voted for on Wednesday in the plenary sitting of the Senate and the Deputies’ Chamber.

The document was presented on Sunday in the sitting of the reunited chambers by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) – major at rule) Senator Mihai Fifor.

The motion is initiated by PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) parliamentarians against the Government headed by Sorin Grindeanu.

In order to be adopted, at least 233 votes “in favour” are needed. The vote will be secret and shall be cast by means of balls.

PSD and ALDE parliamentarians claim in the motion that two of the 27 members of the Government, voluntarily under the command of one deputy, are sharing ministerial positions and launch ridiculous attacks in all directions.

“Demonstrating contempt towards the democratic rules of the state’s institutions functioning, immaturity and political irresponsibility, the Prime Minister and one of his ministers, instead of observing the investiture vote and the trust bestowed in them by Parliament, understood that governing can be carried out as a personal matter, that constitutional and legal provisions are facultative and they can defy the vote granted by citizens and democracy. Two of the 27 Gov’t members, placing themselves voluntarily under the command of one deputy, high-ranking official, are sharing the ministerial positions and are launching ridiculous attacks in all directions, exhibiting an unwelcome and mind-blowing caricature of the governing act. The only thing the Ponta-Grindeanu-Jianu ‘Government’ achievement, is to prove that there are politicians who have lost their common sense compass, their honour and dignity, confirming one more time the PSD and ALDE leaders’ righteousness in their decisions to withdraw political support,” reads the text.

The censure motion was submitted in parliament after the PSD-ALDE governing coalition withdrew political support of Grindeanu’s Government and the premier refused to resign.

PSD leadership holds emergency meeting with party MPs, after UDMR refuses to back no-confidence motion. Ponta-Grindeanu camp is optimistic and convinced that the motion will fail

After UDMR’s refusal to back the no-confidence motion, on Tuesday afternoon the PSD leadership summoned the party’s MPs for new talks, in order to see on how many MPs it can rely during Wednesday’s vote of the no-confidence motion filed against the Grindeanu Government.

This was the second meeting with the party’s MPs in 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea is preparing to nominate a new Premier. According to PSD sources, Liviu Dragnea has already made a list of options for the Premier’s office.

PSD President Liviu Dragnea has eight names that will be presented to PSD’s National Executive Committee, the body that will elect the future nominee for the Premier’s office.

On the other hand, the Ponta-Grindeanu camp is optimistic and convinced that the motion will fail.

The main ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD)’s Chairman Liviu Dragnea said on Tuesday night he is realistic as regards the odds for the no confidence motion to pass.

“I’m being realistic. The censure motion will pass tomorrow,” Dragnea told the journalists about how he feels on the no confidence motion vote due on Wednesday in the Parliament, against Grindeanu government.

The PSD leader was present at an informal reunion at a Bucharest hotel, alongside the larger leadership of his party, members of the National Executive Committee, MPs, county organisations’ heads, outgoing ministers of the Grindeanu Cabinet, as well as leaders of the minor ruling Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), headed fronted by this party’s leader, and Senate President, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

Upon his arrival, when asked how he sees the censure motion vote considering the failure of the negotiations with the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) earlier in the day, Dragnea said: “At its very beginning, the majority was not set with the UDMR.

Tariceanu: We have a majority for the motion

Senate’s Speaker, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, stated on Tuesday that the negotiations with UDMR have been stopped, and each party will follow its own agenda. As for the majority, Tariceanu claims that there are no questions about it from the government coalition.

“We didn’t fight, we separated ourselves in very good relations, but each of us will follow our own agenda” Tariceanu stated.

The Senate’s Speaker explained that the laws initiated by UDMR couldn’t be voted in the Senate’s plenary session in a short time, an analysis being necessary.

“It’s not about compromises, but such a law, or all of the three laws must be very well conceived, settled, analyzed, and the decisions must not be taken under time pressure. (…) We had all the availability, but in front of the large volume, we figured out that we cannot manage these issues in such a short time. We stopped”.

Tariceanu also announced that there are talks with all the parties in the case of the censure motions, and in this case, the government coalition has an undoubted majority.

“We have a figure that we announced to you. We have a good and hard majority in order for the motion to pass. (…) We’ve made also the reverse calculation. We know who those who will vote against the motion are, therefore we assured that things are ok” Tariceanu stated.

Asked about the number of the dissidents inside the coalition, the Senate’s Speaker said that they are around 16 or 17.

Ponta: Without UDMR’s votes, the no-confidence motion won’t pass; 13 PSD MPs won’t vote for it

Government Secretary General Victor Ponta stated on Tuesday, at the Palace of Parliament, that the no-confidence motion against the Grindeanu Government will not pass the joint plenum of the two Houses of Parliament, considering that UDMR does not endorse it and 13 PSD MPs will not vote in favour.

“Had they secured the votes, they wouldn’t have made this huge mistake with last evening’s negotiations. UDMR demanded what they’ve been demanding in the last 16 years, UDMR is not at fault, but they shot the silver bullet, they took UDMR’s votes and after that you saw that UDMR is not participating and it’s very good that they’re not, just as no other party is participating, which is normal, because it’s an internal battle within PSD. You don’t interfere in other people’s battles, because you don’t like others interfering in your internal battles either. I’m convinced that 13 votes will surely lack. You can’t topple your own Government by negotiating each vote,” Ponta stated.

The Secretary General added that his message for the members of PSD is that they still have 19 hours to find a “rational” solution.

“I’m explaining to all of my colleagues that 19 hours are left to reach a rational solution; after that it’s no longer possible, because after that either the motion will be rejected – which is obvious without UDMR’s votes – and then we’ll have a Government in office at least until September-October, but one at odds with its own party, or the motion will pass and then everything will be in the hands of Mr Iohannis, nothing in our hands,” Victor Ponta concluded.

Ponta was at the Palace of Parliament on Tuesday, at the office he has as chairman of the Lower Chamber’s European Affairs Committee, where he was joined by Daniel Constantin, Eugen Teodorovici, Sorin Campeanu, Mircea Banias, Alin Vacaru.

Daniel Constantin: I believe critical mass has been reached for the motion to fail

Lower Chamber lawmaker Daniel Constantin stated on Tuesday, after his talk with Victor Ponta, that “the critical mass has been reached” at this moment for the no-confidence motion to fail, but he did not want to reveal the number of ruling coalition MPs who are siding with Sorin Grindeanu.

Asked how could a Government govern with the backing of 20 MPs at most, Daniel Constantin said: “You’ll see tomorrow what the backing will be and we’ll discuss after that how it could govern. One way or another, there were situations before too, we’ll discuss this at the appropriate moment.”

In what concerns the fact that Eugen Teodorovici attended the talks with Ponta, Teodorovici having previously announced he would vote for the motion, Constantin said that “some things are beyond political activity.”

“We can’t stop saluting ourselves on the hallways of Parliament. We discuss, debate what happens in politics, but this doesn’t mean we’re trying to convince Mr Teodorovici to join one side or the other. He has his own convictions, we saw they are very strong and each one maintains his political convictions,” he said.

Constantin also stated that Grindeanu’s supporters did not call their MPs to convince them no to vote for the motion.

“We didn’t busy ourselves, like Mr Tariceanu and Mr Dragnea did, with calling people, promising offices, doing certain things. I’m doing this out of conviction. The talks we had, we had them out of conviction and they were primarily generated by MPs that called us and said: “we do not agree with this either.” You can’t topple your own Government, we can’t continue with this manner of politicking. Nobody wants to relate to a single person anymore, whether we are talking about the ALDE President, whether we are talking about the PSD President. They all want to change, to be participants in decision-making. (…) These are the parliamentarians’ dissatisfactions. That last-hour negotiation has intervened now too, and, you know how the saying goes, give someone power to see who he really is. This sums up what the two have done in yesterday’s negotiations, putting absolutely anything on the table, showing us they are capable of doing anything only to keep power, only not to lose certain privileges. (…) You can’t agree, in two hours, to something that has been discussed for 16 years. These are fundamental things,” Daniel Constantin added.

How other parliamentary parties have positioned themselves so far

USR will not take part in no-confidence vote: A circus, a battle between thieves and incompetents

USR’s leadership decided on Saturday that the party’s MPs will not take part in the vote on the no-confidence motion against the Grindeanu Government, the party’s leaders labeling the situation “a circus that has occurred between two gangs, a battle between thieves and incompetents.”

“USR will not take part in the vote on the no-confidence motion, because we consider that this is a circus that has occurred between two gangs, more precisely between Dragnea and Grindeanu. We don’t want to intervene in this circus. Citizens are not present in this debate. It’s a battle between thieves and incompetents and we don’t want to take part in their internal struggle,” USR acting President Elek Levente stated.

He pointed out that the members of USR’s Political Committee did not decide whether the party’s MPs will not show up for the meeting in which the motion will be put up for vote or whether they will show up but abstain.

“USR will not take part in any discussion about joining the Government or anything else of this kind. USR considers that, at this moment, holding snap elections is the only honourable option, considering that PSD lost its moral credibility and can no longer form a Government,” Elek Levente added.

PNL MPs will abstain. MPs representing the ethnic minorities’ group will vote as they see fit

PNL President Ludovic Orban stated on Monday that PNL MPs will be present at the meeting in which the no-confidence motion will be put up for vote but will abstain, stating that the continuation of the political crisis can have serious consequences for Romania and that the Liberals have decided not to interfere in “PSD’s settling of scores”.

“The Political Bureau meeting took place today, meeting in which we debated the party’s position on the no-confidence motion that PSD tabled against PSD. We took the decision for PNL MPs to be present in the hall and abstain. The mafia-like settling of scores within PSD, which has nothing to do with the country’s interest, has generated a political crisis with grave consequences for Romania’s image in the world, for the economy and for society. We challenge the Government to put an end to this crisis that they provoked out of obscure interests and for objectives that we cannot understand,” PNL President Ludovic Orban stated.

Ludovic Orban stated that PNL will not interfere in the settling of scores between the “two PSD clans”.

“Today we are in the situation in which an imposter is abusively occupying the Victoria Palace, and we don’t know if in Parliament there is still a majority that would be in line with the will expressed by citizens. The perpetuation of the political crisis may have grave consequences for Romania; consequently, we’ve decided, as political party, not to interfere in this settling of scores between two clans from within PSD, because we are against both the Dragnea clan and the Ponta-Grindeanu clan,” Orban added.

Orban: I trust PNL MPs will respect the position on the motion. We’re discussing

PNL President Ludovic Orban stated on Monday that he is confident all PNL MPs will respect PNL’s position on the no-confidence motion, stating he will hold a meeting with them later that day and that he was not contacted by “the old reds’ farmers’ co-op” for negotiations.

“I trust all PNL MPs, I trust they will respect the party’s political position (…) and the will of the citizens who voted them and sent them in Parliament. (…) At 2.30 p.m., I convened a meeting with all PNL lawmakers. (…) I’m confident there will be no sanctions because all PNL lawmakers will respect the party’s decision. PNL is in the Opposition, I will no longer allow any under-the-table negotiation, any backstage negotiation and no game rigging with the ruling party,” PNL President Ludovic Orban stated.

The PNL leader added that nobody from “the old reds’ farmers’ co-op” contacted him for negotiations.

MP Pambuccian: National minority MPs will attend no-confidence vote; act as they see fit

The MPs representing national minorities will attend the no-confidence vote session and act as they see fit, group leader Varujan Pambuccian said Monday.

“First of all, we have started from the clear premise that this is not our war in the least. This is an intestine war between two factions of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) that is surely engulfing the entire political scene. We have not started it; we had no contribution to it. Consequently, the group has decided that each of its members will act as he or she sees fit. All of us will be there because absence is a form of voting and none of us will know how our colleagues vote. All of them will surely vote either for, or against or will abstain,” said Pambuccian.

He went on to say that none of the group’s MPs will know how his/her colleagues will vote, and so the group is protected.

“None of us, me included, will know how the other colleagues vote, so that the group may be protected when passing through a tribulation that is no fault of it. This is a small group that has its own purposes that are not in the least connected to the big political fights and that has to be as well protected as possible and it should get out of such fights as well as possible,” added Pambuccian.

He said national minority lawmakers usually do not cast ballots in no-confidence votes, but this time any gesture would have been misconstrued as support for one side or the other, given that this is “an all-out fight.”

Pambuccian said he was phoned by PSD national leader Liviu Dragnea, former PSD national leader Victor Ponta and national leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor.

“Mr Dragnea, Mr Ponta and Mr Kelemen have all phoned me these days, and I told them that I did not have any formal or informal talks with either of the rebellious faction leaders. I asked them for talks with one leader of each of the two factions, whom I told what I told you I expect to happen. What happened is the group agreed on this formula and here we are in the most neutral formula,” added Pambuccian.

He said he had not talked to embattled Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu yet.

“I talked to Mr Ponta on the phone as representing Grindeanu. I met Mr Jianu for talks and I also had a conversation with my colleague, PSD Secretary General Marian [Neacsu] and that was all,” said Pambuccian.

The laws negotiated by PSD with UDMR, withdrawn from the Senate’s agenda . UDMR will not attend censure motion voting</s>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's ruling party has lost key support from a party that it was counting on to support a vote of no-confidence - against the ruling party's own government.

That makes it harder for the ruling Social Democratic Party to oust Premier Sorin Grindeanu in the vote on Wednesday.

Talks broke down between the Union of Democratic Hungarians in Romania and the Social Democrats on Tuesday after they failed to agree on extra benefits for ethnic Hungarians.

Romanian Government General Secretary and former Prime Minister, Victor Ponta,gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, June 19, 2017. Ponta has called on lawmakers not to oust the prime minister in a no-confidence vote this week called by members of his own party. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The Social Democrats withdrew support from Grindeanu last week. He refused to resign.

The Social Democrats and junior partner the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats have 247 seats in the 465-legislature. To oust Grindeanu, they need 233 votes.

However, the premier still has some friends who may be ill, absent or otherwise engaged Wednesday.

Romanian Government General Secretary and former Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, adjusts his glasses during an interview with the Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, June 19, 2017. Ponta's has called on lawmakers not to oust the prime minister in a no-confidence vote this week called by members of his own party. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</s>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister and his government have been ousted in a no-confidence vote submitted by ruling party members.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the motion Wednesday, more than the 233 votes required. The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion to oust Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, saying that he had failed to implement the party’s political agenda.

Grindeanu had refused to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance. He claims powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea wants to remove him to have a party loyalist as premier.

Dragnea is barred from being prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s prime minister and his government were ousted Wednesday in a no-confidence vote submitted by members of his own party.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the motion, more than the 233 votes required. The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion to oust Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, saying that he had failed to implement the party’s political agenda.

Grindeanu, in office since January, had refused to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance. He claims powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea wants to replace him with a party loyalist.

“This is a sad day for us. The premier did not perform,” Dragnea told lawmakers before the vote Wednesday. “It didn’t go badly, it went quite well, but that’s not enough.”

Dragnea himself is barred from being prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

Speaking from the government offices, Grindeanu later said he would remain in office until a new government is installed.

He said it was “important we get out of this blockage and send a message to investors and governments all over the world that Romania remains a stable and predictable environment.”

After the vote was announced, some Social Democrats hugged each other. The party will now choose a candidate for prime minister who needs to be nominated by President Klaus Iohannis. Talks with the president are scheduled for Monday and Iohannis has the right to refuse a candidate. Parliament then votes to approve the new government.</s>Ruling Romanian party stages vote of no confidence and topples prime minister who has been in office just six months

Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has been ousted after a vote of no confidence organised by the chairman of his own ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Liviu Dragnea, the PSD chairman, managed to muster 241 out of 251 votes in favour of his motion in parliament on Wednesday.

There were 233 votes needed to force a new government in Bucharest.

Speaking to the press after the no-confidence vote, Grindeanu said he would "carry on with his duties as caretaker prime minister in accordance to Romanian law until a new cabinet will be sworn in".

"I will also remain a member of the PSD because I do not change my mind overnight," Grindeanu added, even though the party's ruling body had already decided to cancel his membership.

Romania was thrown into a deep political crisis after Grindeanu and Dragnea had a falling-out last week.

Dragnea then called on all cabinet members to hand in their resignations in order to force Grindeanu to step down.

The prime minister refused to abide by his party chairman's orders, thus forcing a first in Romanian post-communist history: a ruling party voting its own government out of office.

The opposition parties were present, but did not cast any vote, accusing the PSD of turning an internal dispute between Dragnea and Grindeanu into a parliamentary matter.

Speaking in parliament, Dragnea said after "six months in office the government is faring OK-ish. We didn't win 45 percent of the popular vote to settle for that".

He was referring to a government performance review that allegedly found it had failed to uphold an ambitious governing programme.

The review stated that 60 percent of promises made during the election campaign in 2016 had not been fulfilled and that almost 30 percent had only partially been implemented. For his part, Grindeanu disputed the document.

OPINION: Romania - The second fall of Ceausescu

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has been informed about the parliamentary vote and has already called for political consultations on Monday in order to form a new cabinet.

In January, the president rejected the PSD's first appointee for the prime minister's job, Sevil Shhaideh, who would have been Romania's first woman head of cabinet and first Muslim head of cabinet. Grindeanu, the PSD's second choice, was then appointed prime minister.

Following December's elections, Iohannis refused to name Dragnea as prime minister, citing a prior criminal conviction for voter fraud. Dragnea is now Speaker of the House.

Before Wednesday's parliamentary vote, Iohannis said he would not "ignore last year's criteria. I will not name anything else than a prime minister with proven integrity".

According to the Romanian constitution, the president is not obliged to name a prime minister from the ruling coalition.

The appointee is tasked with forming a cabinet, but then has to pass a vote in parliament.

During the debate, Grindeanu told MPs that the no-confidence motion would be a huge mistake.

"With each vote you cast against this government, the PSD risks losing the PM post. There is no guarantee that President Iohannis will name another PSD member in my place," he said.

Grindeanu went on to warn MPs that "no matter who takes my job, Dragnea will not let him or her exercise the office of prime minister".</s>BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s ruling party has lost key support from a party that it was counting on to support a vote of no-confidence — against the ruling party’s own government.

That makes it harder for the ruling Social Democratic Party to oust Premier Sorin Grindeanu in the vote on Wednesday.

Talks broke down between the Union of Democratic Hungarians in Romania and the Social Democrats on Tuesday after they failed to agree on extra benefits for ethnic Hungarians.

The Social Democrats withdrew support from Grindeanu last week. He refused to resign.

The Social Democrats and junior partner the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats have 247 seats in the 465-legislature. To oust Grindeanu, they need 233 votes.

However, the premier still has some friends who may be ill, absent or otherwise engaged Wednesday.</s>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister and his government were ousted Wednesday in a no-confidence vote submitted by members of his own party.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the motion, more than the 233 votes required. The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion to oust Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, saying that he had failed to implement the party’s political agenda.

Grindeanu, in office since January, had refused to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance. He claims powerful party leader Liviu Dragnea wants to replace him with a party loyalist.

“This is a sad day for us. The premier did not perform,” Dragnea told lawmakers before the vote Wednesday. “It didn’t go badly, it went quite well, but that’s not enough.”

Dragnea himself is barred from being prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.

After the vote was announced, some Social Democrats hugged each other. The party will now choose a candidate for prime minister who needs to be nominated by President Klaus Iohannis. Talks with the president are scheduled for Monday and Iohannis has the right to refuse a candidate. Parliament then votes to approve the new government.
After a short term political crisis, started when the governing PSD retracted its support, the Parliament of Romania passes a no confidence motion against the government led by former PSD Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu.