The Romanian Parliament started the vote on the new Government on Monday evening (May 7 ), after a long day of hearings for the new ministers and an afternoon of heated debates.

The new Government needs 231 votes to pass, out of the existing 247 MPs who take part in the voting session. 213 MPs did not attend the vote.

The designated Prime Minister Victor Ponta counts on the needed votes for his cabinet to pass, after having inked a deal with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) earlier on Monday. The Government is thus supposed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Conservative Party (PC) and UDMR, which should give it enough votes, if all MPs follow the party lead when casting their votes.

At the end of April, the vote of no-confidence which toppled the the-Government received 235 votes. Then, 259 MPs attended the session.

- to be updated-

editor@romania-insider.com