Romanian government loses no-confidence vote
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Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila delivers her speech during a Parliament session called to debate and vote a non-confidence motion on the Romanian Government at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest on Oct 10, 2019.
PHOTO: AFP
BUCHAREST (DPA) - The Romanian Parliament on Thursday (Oct 10) backed a no-confidence motion against Social Democratic (PSD) Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's government.
The motion, launched over poor use of European Union funds and low public investment, was backed by 238 representatives and senators in the plenary session of the bicameral legislature, five more than was necessary to bring the Prime Minister down.
It was not immediately clear whether Ms Dancila's fall will trigger early elections, or if the opposition will attempt to form a new coalition with defectors from the PSD. In the meantime, she will remain in office in a caretaker capacity.
The government has been plagued by corruption issues, and Dancila was the third PSD prime minister since the 2016 elections. Her two predecessors fell in an internal power struggle with the former party chief, Liviu Dragnea.
Dragnea was sentenced to prison in May for corruption.
The next parliamentary election is officially due to be held in December 2020.
On Nov 10, Romania is due to hold the first round of a presidential election, with a possible run-off two weeks later.
