Romania's nominated PM asks parliament's vote of confidence without clear majority

BUCHAREST, June 18 - Romania's prime minister-designate Adrian Vestea asked parliament late on Sunday for a vote of confidence, banking on support from the country's largest party, but his cabinet is unlikely to pass without support from the opposition far right.

Centrist President Nicusor Dan nominated Liberal Party member Vestea earlier this week without consulting the party, in what analysts said was a forceful attempt to rebuild a pro-European government to carry out reforms and keep cutting the largest budget deficit in the European Union.

A pro-European coalition government led by Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Ilie Bolojan collapsed in early May when its biggest party, the leftist Social Democrats, joined forces with the opposition far right in a no-confidence vote.

On Sunday, the Liberals reiterated they would no longer join a ruling coalition with the Social Democrats and voted to exclude Vestea from their ranks, as well as any party member who would back or join his government.

The Social Democrats (PSD), who have repeatedly said they would rejoin the same pro-European coalition with a different prime minister than Bolojan, decided on Sunday to back Vestea's government, which includes nine PSD ministers and the government's secretary general.

The Liberals' decision not to back Vestea was mirrored by their junior coalition partners, the centre-right Save Romania Union and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, making it nearly impossible for Vestea's cabinet to pass parliament without defectors, independents and the far right opposition.

Hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) is parliament's largest party and dwarfs the remaining parties in opinion surveys.

"Nicusor Dan and PSD have placed themselves in the difficult situation of proposing a government that cannot pass through parliament," AUR vice president and senator Petrisor Peiu said on Facebook on Monday, adding that the best solution for Romania was an early election.

"Why would AUR self-destruct to save PSD?"

The extended political crisis endangers efforts to access billions of EU funds and keep Romania's sovereign rating in investment grade. Romania's next parliamentary election is not scheduled until 2028. It has never held an early election. REUTERS