Romania’s pro-EU coalition government collapsed on Tuesday after lawmakers resoundingly voted against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan less than a year after he took office, triggering a state of uncertainty in the European country.
Bolojan came to lead the minority, four-party coalition government on a promise to end one of Romania’s worst political crises since the collapse of communism behind the Iron Curtain in 1989.
The leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, withdrew from the coalition last month.
PSD and the right-leaning populist opposition party, Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), jointly submitted the motion of no confidence to Parliament on April 28.
On Tuesday, 281 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion and just four voted against.
Lawmakers from Bolojan’s own center-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, and coalition partners Save Romania Union and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, all abstained.
Instability and Economic Woes
The country has gone through a period of political instability following the annulment of a presidential election in December 2024, amid accusations of election interference.
The Romanian economy has been grappling with one of the highest budget deficits in the EU, together with rampant inflation and a technical recession.
The government pledged to make balancing the books a top priority when it was voted into power in June 2025.
Bolojan and the PSD have frequently clashed over measures such as tax hikes, public-sector wage and pension freezes, and cuts to public-service jobs and other state spending.
PSD last week said Romania needs a leader who is “capable of collaboration” and accused Bolojan of “failing to implement any genuine reform” in his 10 months at the helm.
Bolojan said the tough fiscal measures taken were essential and had “regained the trust of the markets in the Romanian government.”
‘Cynical and Artificial’
Bolojan said before the vote that the no-confidence motion “seems to be written by people who were not in government every day and did not participate in all the decisions,” labeling it “cynical and artificial.”
“It is cynical, because it does not take into account the context in which we find ourselves,” he said.
“I assumed the position of prime minister, being aware that it comes with enormous pressure and that I would not receive applause from the citizens. But I chose to do what was urgent and necessary for our country.”
PSD leader, Sorin Grindeanu, called on Bolojan to appoint an interim prime minister until one is voted into office by lawmakers, and said he expected centrist Romanian President Nicusor Dan to consult his party.
“I would like us to quickly find a solution … together with the other parties and move forward,” Grindeanu said, adding, “All options are open.”
‘Political Chaos’
The secretary-general of Bolojan’s party, Dan Motreanu, accused both PSD and AUR of “playing political theater,” posting on social media that the two parties “have a duty to take over the government, to come up with a prime minister candidate and a clear program.”
“You cannot overthrow a government and then run away from accountability,” Motreanu wrote.
He added that, “any signal of political chaos” negatively affects the country’s economy and people.
PSD has previously ruled out forming a government with AUR, whose leader, George Simion, said on Tuesday that voters had “supported and wanted water, food, energy,” but had “received taxes, war and poverty.”
With the AUR being strongly euro-skeptic, the PSD would be needed in government to form a pro-European parliamentary majority.
As part of a power-sharing agreement, the prime ministerial position was set to rotate in 2027 from Bolojan to a premier from PSD.
President Dan, who nominates the prime minister, said he expects a new pro-EU government to be formed within a “reasonable” amount of time, despite Bolojan’s party and another junior coalition ally ruling out further talks with PSD.
A general election is not scheduled to take place until 2028. Amid the economic turbulence caused by the political uncertainty, Romania’s leu currency fell to a record low against the euro just before Tuesday’s parliamentary vote.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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