Romania’s parliament rejected liberal MEP Siegfried Muresan’s bid to become prime minister, leaving the country facing a prolonged political crisis and increasing the likelihood of early elections.
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Muresan secured 182 votes, while 233 were needed to form a government, according to official results. He was the second candidate proposed by President Nicuşor Dan to be rejected by parliament since Ilie Bolojan’s pro-European government fell in early May.
Before Muresan, the president had selected two other candidates to lead the government. Presidential adviser Eugen Tomac withdrew his candidacy before it was put to a vote, while liberal Adrian Vestea failed to secure the necessary support.
After the vote, the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the country’s second-largest party, said the proposal to appoint Muresan had also failed. AUR has announced that it will oppose any candidate proposed by the president and is calling for early elections.
The far-right party leads in the two latest polls, with its support estimated at around 40% in one and 36% in the other.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the largest parliamentary group with 129 seats, also refuses to support Dan’s chosen candidates. The Social Democrats insist that the next prime minister should come from their party.
The political clashes come at a difficult financial time for Romania. In mid-April, the PSD withdrew from the government in opposition to austerity measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit, which is the highest in the European Union.
The PSD later joined AUR to bring down Bolojan’s government. However, because no replacement has yet been found, Bolojan has continued to serve as prime minister.
