The opposition center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) and far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) were joined in supporting the no-confidence motion by ex-coalition members from the Union to Save Romania (USR, formerly known as USR-PLUS).
In the no confidence vote, put forward by PSD, the largest party in parliament, 281 of Romania’s lawmakers opted to dismiss Citu, prime minister for less than a year. In late September 2021, Citu deposed another former liberal prime minister, Ludovic Orban, as leader of his party following a long campaign.
Citu’s Liberal Party (PNL), which holds 134 of the 436 seats in Romania’s Parliament, has been increasingly isolated since August 2021 when USR, part of the ruling coalition that had run the country since a general election in December 2020, walked out following Citu’s dismissal of Stelian Ion, the minister of justice and a member of the USR. Ion was the second USR minister to have been dismissed by Citu in less than six months: Vlad Voiculescu, the health minister, was sacked in April 2021.
The ruling coalition broke down in September 2021 when the reformist USR pulled its ministers from the government due to disagreements over a local development spending plan and justice reforms.
Romania now faces a renewed period of political uncertainty following the parliamentary vote of no confidence on October 5 that dismissed the Citu Cabinet. The government collapse could lead to early elections in Romania, which are triggered when a prime minister and their cabinet are rejected twice in a row by lawmakers. PSD has demanded an election as soon as possible.
Earlier Tuesday, Romania reported 15,037 new cases of Covid-19 – an all-time high – and 252 deaths. Meanwhile, the surge in energy prices sweeping Europe has also hit Romania, generating high inflation and fears about the cost of living.