Romanian Parliament Votes On Opposition’s No-Confidence Motion Thursday

Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase said 336 lawmakers are present at the plenary meeting and 135 are absent, and the meeting has the necessary quorum.

The no-confidence motion needs the votes of half plus one of the Romanian Parliament’s 471 lawmakers, namely at least 236 votes, to pass and overthrow the government, but that is unlikely to happen as the government has 70% support in Parliament.

Romania’s social democrat Health Minister Ion Bazac said social democrats will attend the debates on the motion, but will leave the meeting before the vote. Conservatives, who are in a political alliance with social democrats, also said they will not vote.

Democrat liberal Prime Minister Emil Boc said he is not at all worried about today’s vote in Parliament and opposition leaders themselves said they are aware the government is highly unlikely to be overthrown but they submitted the motion nonetheless, as a political gesture.

On September 15, the prime minister asked the Parliament for a confidence vote on the adoption of the unitary pay law regulating wages across the public sector. The opposition, which has a total 121 lawmakers, called for a no-confidence vote, which would overthrow the government if granted. If the Parliament votes against the opposition’s action, the unitary pay law presented by the government is considered enacted.