A hot summer in Romanian politics

The coalition government is to face its first no-confidence vote

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Roxana Vasile, 25.06.2018, 13:09

The coalition government led by Viorica Dancila is to face the first no-confidence vote against it. Read in Parliament on Monday, the motion will be debated and voted on this Wednesday. The accusations contained in the document are varied. Among others, the Liberals, supported by the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party, accuse the government of endangering the future of the privately managed pensions of 7 million contributors. They also condemn the recent changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure which they say threaten the act of justice, and blame the government for the inability to absorb European funds and failure to improve detention standards.

The discontent of the opposition is shared by part of civil society. In recent days, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Bucharest and other big cities to protest against the revisions to the Code of Criminal Procedure and of the justice laws. The protesters shouted anti-government slogans and demanded the cabinets resignation. On paper, the Social Democrats and their allies from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats have the necessary votes to reject the no-confidence motion on Wednesday. Their leader, Liviu Dragnea, has given assurances that his party would continue to hold parliamentary majority together with their allies and promised that the motion would not pass.

Except the Social Democratic Party is seriously shaken and is going through a difficult moment after the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Thursday handed Dragnea a prison sentence of three and a half years for instigation to abuse of office while he was the head of the County Council in Teleorman, in the south. The sentence is not final and can be appealed.

Possibly in an attempt to take advantage of this situation, the president of the country Klaus Iohannis announced he would run for a second term. At least until now, Dragnea himself has been considered a potential candidate to the presidential elections of 2019. According to some commentators, after being notable more for his absence than for his presence in public life for three and a half years, Klaus Iohannis has taken a more vocal stance in recent months, criticising the Social Democratic Party. The Liberals, who say they will back Iohannis, have in fact revealed to some extent what his campaign will be based on. By launching his candidacy, says the National Liberal Party, president Iohannis is determined to fight to the death “to free Romania of the immense danger posed by Liviu Dragneas attempt to hijack it.

This summer is therefore likely to be very hot in Romanian politics, prefacing the fierce competition to come. No doubt that there will also be some surprises!

(translated by: Cristina Mateescu)