Romanian parliament rejects pro-European Mureșan as prime minister

Romania's parliament on Wednesday voted against confirming pro-European National Liberal Party politician Sigfrid Mureșan as the country's new prime minister. He received only 182 votes, well short of the 233 needed for a government to be approved.

The rejection extends a political crisis that has gripped Romania for weeks. Analysts say the resulting uncertainty is helping far-right political forces gain greater influence in society.

Background to the crisis

The crisis escalated on May 5, when Romania's parliament passed a no-confidence vote, initiated jointly by Social Democrats and far-right lawmakers, removing pro-European prime minister Ilie Bolojan from office. Since then, the country has been run by a caretaker government led by Bolojan until a new government can be formed.

Several failed attempts

Romanian President Nicușor Dan has already put forward three different candidates for the prime minister's post, but none of them has managed to form a government with sufficient parliamentary support. Mureșan's failure is the latest such rejection.

Following the rejection of his candidacy, the likelihood is growing that Romania could soon call early parliamentary elections, since a caretaker arrangement cannot indefinitely ensure stable governance of the country.