Romania’s Social Democrats, the largest party in parliament, announced on Wednesday that they would support their leader Sorin Grindeanu for the position of prime minister as they seek to negotiate a new government following the collapse of the pro-European coalition last month.
The Social Democrats triggered a political crisis in early May by exiting the coalition and aligning with far-right opposition members to oust liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
Consequences of the coalition’s collapse
The three other parties that were part of the former coalition have declared they will no longer cooperate with the Social Democrats. This has resulted in a situation where no group holds enough seats in parliament to establish a majority.
The liberal candidate, whom the president tasked with forming a government, was unable to secure sufficient support. If another candidate is selected and also fails, new parliamentary elections will be necessary.
Efforts to avoid snap elections
Pro-European parties have expressed their intention to reach an agreement to form a minority government to prevent snap elections. However, they have yet to agree on whether this government will be led by the Social Democrats or the right-centrists.
Source: The Straits Times