Romania’s centre-right government collapsed yesterday after a no-confidence vote, jeopardising key reforms six months ahead of general elections.
A total of 235 lawmakers, four more than the 231 needed, voted for the motion introduced by the left-leaning opposition which criticised the government’s privatisation plans.
Shortly after the vote, President Traian Basescu invited political party leaders to consultations before designating a new prime minister.
The new government will have a short mandate, with elections due in November.
The fall of Romania’s government less than three months after it came to power coincides with a mission by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to assess recent reforms. Romania was forced to call on the IMF and the EU for a €20 billion lifeline in 2009 and took drastic measures in return to curb spending, cutting public sector wages by 25 per cent and freezing pensions in 2010.
It also agreed to privatise national assets, including Romania’s biggest copper mining company Cupru Min, and it sold minority stakes in several energy firms.