Romania’s PSD-ALDE Government, led by prime minister Viorica Dancila, survived the no-confidence motion vote on December 20, the second one this year, as the opposition only gathered 161 votes to support their motion. They needed a total of 233 votes for the motion to pass and the Government to be dismissed, according to Mediafax.

The number of votes for the motion was even lower than the number of MPs who initially signed it – 163, which shows the opposition’s weakness. The Hungarian minority’s party UDMR abstained from the vote but said it would join a future initiative of this kind if the main opposition parties, the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR), come up with an alternative, even better, one headed by UDMR.

However, even with UDMR’s votes, the motion would have still been short of the necessary support without convincing MPs of the ruling coalition, PSD-ALDE, to join the initiative. Thus, the opposition action turned into another occasion for prime minister Viorica Dancila to list the achievements of her cabinet, which was instated in January this year.

Viorica Dancila survived another no-confidence motion at the end of June.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / George Calin)