BUCHAREST, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Romania's two largest parliamentary parties, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government on Tuesday, according to local media outlet Digi24.
Romania's 464-seat parliament requires at least 233 votes to pass a no-confidence motion. While the PSD and AUR together hold around 220 seats, the motion has gathered 251 signatures, including support from smaller opposition parties and independent lawmakers.
The vote is expected to take place on May 5. If Bolojan loses the confidence vote, he will remain in office on an interim basis while negotiations begin to form a new parliamentary majority.
Dominic Fritz, leader of the ruling coalition partner Save Romania Union, said that under current circumstances, the motion has "a very high chance of passing."
Despite their cooperation on this motion, the PSD, a center-left party, and the AUR, a far-right party, have sharply different ideologies and have never previously worked together.
Their only shared objective is to remove Bolojan from office. However, their broader political goals diverge significantly. The AUR aims to trigger early elections, while the PSD supports forming a new "pro-European coalition."
The PSD has emphasized that its opposition is directed at Bolojan personally rather than the government as a whole, and has ruled out any coalition with the AUR, according to Digi24.
Earlier this month, the PSD withdrew from the ruling coalition and pulled its ministers from the government in an effort to force Bolojan to resign, but he refused. Other coalition partners have reaffirmed their support for the prime minister.
The PSD has previously accused the Bolojan government of pushing the economy toward crisis through austerity measures and attempting to sell strategic national assets at below-market prices, according to party statements. ■