The Social Democratic Party (PSD) in Romania, after formal internal consultations on April 20, will request Liberal (PNL) prime minister Ilie Bolojan to step down – and in the very likely case of a refusal, its ministers will submit their resignations to increase the pressure and obtain a mediation from president Nicusor Dan, according to the public station TVR based on insights from the meeting PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu had with president Dan.
Withdrawing the political support for PM Bolojan will most likely be gradual. The Social Democrats reportedly hope that Bolojan will voluntarily leave the government after they declare the withdrawal of their political support on April 20. Only after a deadline, supposedly 72 hours, will the six PSD ministers submit their resignations.
The PSD ministers will be officially out of the government only after president Nicușor Dan signs the decrees of withdrawal from office. Even after this, the ruling coalition’s protocol will remain intact. Leaving the ruling coalition involves the resignation of state secretaries and executive representatives at the local level and in public administration bodies – and PSD has not decided yet on this step, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro.
The entire process of withdrawing the political support and pulling out from the ruling coalition is aimed at forcing PM Bolojan to leave his office. The process would culminate with PSD voting a no-confidence motion against the government, according to the Social Democrats’ plans disclosed by TVR – but it remains unclear whether PSD would file this motion itself, or wait for the motion announced by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) for mid-May.
The transitory political situation can take up to three months unless the government is dismissed by a no-confidence motion in Parliament, explained Recorder. During the first 45 days, the government can operate with interim ministers (supposedly as a minority cabinet, but this remains ambiguous depending on PSD’s withdrawal of its state secretaries and other top public servants) – but PM Bolojan needs to get lawmakers’ approval for the ministers after this period. Even if the new ministers fail to get lawmakers’ votes, PM Bolojan has another 45 days to make other ministerial nominations.
The early elections scenario remains remote, but worth mentioning. Even if PM Bolojan will be dismissed by no-confidence motion or following lawmakers’ refusal to appoint new ministers (which is similar to the lawmakers’ refusal to approve the team of ministers proposed by a prime minister designate at the beginning of an electoral cycle), uncertainties and questions remain regarding the next step of the parties and regarding the further steps of president Nicușor Dan – who could in principle nominate another prime minister designate triggering another procedures in Parliament.
These procedures are necessary before calling early elections, a scenario that remains remote at this moment. During this process, the country would operate under a caretaker government with limited power, headed by PM Bolojan.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)
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