Romania’s new prime minister-designate Adrian Vestea, announced by president Nicușor Dan in a move declared by Liberal (PNL) leader Ilie Bolojan as a “hostile action”, failed to secure the support of his own Liberal Party. In a prolonged meeting and after repeated internal votes on June 15, the Liberal leadership decided for the fourth time not to form a ruling coalition with the Social Democrats (PSD), not to back a potential government formed by Vestea, and to exclude all members who would accept or vote for a nomination in a government without prior endorsement from their own party.
“The PNL position regarding Nicusor Dan’s nomination has been clarified: PNL will not support the appointment of such a government, considering both the manner in which this nomination was made and the violation of the spirit of parliamentary democracy,” said PNL president Ilie Bolojan.
During the day of June 15, Vestea admitted that he was informed by president Dan about his imminent nomination as early as June 10, but kept this secret from the Liberal leadership “because that is what the president asked him.”
The PNL leadership requested Adrian Vestea to return his mandate to president Nicusor Dan before Tuesday, June 16, at 10:00 AM.
President Nicusor Dan has not commented yet on the Liberals’ decision. The PM-designate announced he does not plan to abandon his bid.
In principle, Vestea can put forward a government and a governing programme in Parliament, and dissident PNL MPs could vote for such a government at the risk of being expelled from their own party – a move that Vestea appears to anticipate. The majority support for Adrian Vestea in Parliament thus depends on the backing of the Social Democrats (PSD), the Hungarian party UDMR, and a number of only nine of the 76 Liberal MPs, according to Euronews Romania – assuming the diverse far-right factions in Parliament all vote for Adrian Vestea. USR, AUR, and SOS Romania have already declared their vote against a government formed by Adrian Vestea.
Failing to secure his own party’s endorsement and risking expulsion has not discouraged the PM-candidate Adrian Vestea from continuing his bid and seeking support from other parties. He claimed that he would be backed by 240 MPs. According to sources familiar with the developments, around 20 PNL MPs would be ready to vote for Vestea – but the estimate precedes the PNL meeting, which may discourage some of them.
“I want to be very clear: I am not resigning my mandate as prime minister-designate. I accepted this responsibility in good faith, and I will move forward with the mandate entrusted to me, because Romania urgently needs stability and a functional government,” he wrote on Facebook.
There were several motions voted on by PNL leadership on broadly the same topic during the heated five-hour meeting on June 15. Adrian Vestea’s nomination gained some traction among a faction of senior PNL members, which never reached 25% of attending members. At least 39 of the 56 senior PNL leaders attending the meeting consistently backed party president Ilie Bolojan and endorsed his position. The dissident faction gathered 13 votes at its best, while the final resolution requesting that party members who disobey the party’s decision on the PM nomination be expelled was opposed by only 8 of the 52 senior PNL members participating in the vote.
With 40 votes against 11 and five abstentions, the Liberal Party leadership on the evening of June 15 decided that its MPs would not vote for Adrian Vestea as prime minister.
Under the final resolution approved by the extended PNL leadership with 39 votes against 8 and five abstentions, Liberals who do not follow the party’s decision not to back Adrian Vestea will be expelled from the party. Any PNL member who accepts the position of minister or prime minister without a mandate from the party will be expelled, the resolution states.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Călin)
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