Ministers from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) submitted their resignations at the government on Thursday, April 23, marking a decisive step in the party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition and deepening the ongoing political crisis. The move comes days after PSD, the biggest party in the pro-European alliance, withdrew its political support for Liberal (PNL) prime minister Ilie Bolojan.
“From this moment on, the prime minister no longer has the support of a parliamentary majority, which means he no longer has the democratic legitimacy to exercise the leadership of the Romanian government. According to the Constitution, no group or individual may exercise national sovereignty in their own name, contrary to the will of the parliamentary majority resulting from free and democratic elections,” reads the PSD’s official announcement, as quoted by Digi24.
“The withdrawal of PSD ministers does not represent an abandonment of governance, but rather an act initiating the change demanded by a large majority of Romanian citizens. Recession, inflation, the collapse of consumption and production require such a change. It would have been irresponsible to continue on the same path that has proven wrong, especially in the current geopolitical context,” it added.
PSD also announced that it is ready to participate in the formation of a new pro-European government and to support a prime minister, political or technocratic. “Until a new government is formed, PSD will provide parliamentary support for the adoption of the legislative acts necessary for the implementation of projects funded by European resources,” it said.
The departing PSD officials include deputy prime minister Marian Neacșu, health minister Alexandru Rogobete, transport minister Ciprian Șerban, agriculture minister Florin Barbu, energy minister Bogdan Ivan, justice minister Radu Marinescu, and labor minister Florin Manole.
With the resignations, the Ilie Bolojan government effectively loses PSD from its ranks, altering its political composition. As a result, the executive is now made up only of representatives from the other pro-Western parties in the ruling coalition, namely PNL, Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR).
From a procedural standpoint, after the resignations are submitted and registered with the prime minister’s Chancellery, they are forwarded, along with proposals for interim replacements, to the Presidential Administration. The president then issues decrees dismissing the ministers from office and appointing interim ministers. Until these steps are completed, the government continues to operate as normal, according to Euronews Romania.
PSD said its resigning ministers will continue to carry out their governmental duties until the completion of the legal procedures, which conclude with the publication in the Official Gazette of the presidential decree confirming the vacancies. During this period, the Social Democrat ministers will no longer attend government meetings, but will delegate their representation to state secretaries designated by the other parties in the ruling coalition, according to the official announcement.
The prime minister is expected to appoint interim ministers from among current cabinet members for a period of up to 45 days, Biziday.ro reported. During this interim period, the Parliament may initiate a vote of no confidence against the government. The opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) has already announced it will support any such motion.
The developments follow a week of escalating tensions within the ruling coalition, formed roughly 10 months ago around four pro-European parties – PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR. President Nicușor Dan on Wednesday urged the political leaders to de-escalate tensions and maintain dialogue after consultations at Cotroceni Palace, noting that Romania remains a “functional state.”
Despite the crisis, prime minister Ilie Bolojan repeatedly said he will remain in office and continue governing, while PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu has indicated the party could move into opposition unless an agreement is reached.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Gov.ro)
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