Romania's PNL party files censure motion against govt over incompetence

The censure motion was signed by 237 MPs - from PNL, centre-right Union Save Romania (USR), Pro Romania, the party of former prime minister Victor Ponta, centre-right Popular Movement Party (PMP) and Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Turcan said in a Facebook post. The motion was also signed by the Social Democrat Party (PSD) ex-junior coalition partner Liberal-Democrat Alliance (ALDE) and by two national minorities MPs and one independent MP.

The signatures confirm that a majority in parliament is committed to dismiss this government, she added.

In order to pass, the motion needs to be approved by 233 MPs.

According to the law, the no-confidence motion must be debated and voted within a five-day period after it is filed.

On August 26, Romania's ruling coalition comprising PSD and ALDE collapsed as ALDE leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu announced that his party is leaving the alliance. Tariceanu said at the time that he and his party have been waiting for Dancila to come up with "an articulated plan for relaunching the government", but as she failed to do so, they decided to leave the alliance.

Romania is scheduled to hold general elections in late 2020 or early 2021.

PSD now holds 206 seats in the 465-seat parliament. PNL has 94 MPs, USR holds 40, PMP has 12 MPs, UDMR holds 30 seats and Pro Romania has 39 seats. The remaining seats are taken by 17 MPs representing minorities, and by 27 independent MPs.

The previous no-confidence motion against the government, in June, failed to win the necessary support in parliament to pass.

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