November 4 (SeeNews) - Romania’s parliament on Wednesday rejected the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Lucian Croitoru, throwing the ball back into the field of President Traian Basescu.
The two chambers of parliament rejected the new ministerial team in a 250-189 vote, while 31 members of parliament abstained or were absent. The cabinet needed 236 votes to be endorsed in the 470-seat legislature.
Basescu, who is running for re-election on November 22, must now nominate a new premier-designate. The winner of the presidential vote then can call a general election in December at the earliest, if the next proposal for a cabinet fails to win parliament approval. By law, Romania's president can not dissolve parliament or call early general election in the last six months of his term.
Basescu nominated Croitoru, an advisor to the central bank governor, as prime minister-designate on October 15, saying the country needs a premier versed in economic and macroeconomic issues, both at national and international level.
Romania signed a 20 billion euro ($29.5 billion) aid deal with the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank in March to support its crisis-hit economy. Croitoru, a former IMF representative, was a member of Romania's team that negotiated the aid package. Shortly after Basescu announced Croitoru’s nomination the IMF said it did not anticipate an interruption in the stand-by arrangement with Romania or a change in policy as a result of the political developments
Romania is dependent on IMF aid to cover its budget deficit which rose to 4.5% of the projected gross domestic product in the first eight months of 2009.
An IMF mission is currently visiting Bucharest to review Romania's economic performance under the stand-by arrangement.
($ = 0.6774 euro)