The largest party in Romania’s parliament, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), is set to join forces with the far-right opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) in an effort to bring down the pro-European coalition government.
The move follows the withdrawal of PSD ministers from the governing coalition led by interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan of the National Liberal Party (PNL), which has left the government without a parliamentary majority and raised concerns over Romania’s access to EU funds, credit ratings, and bond yields.
Bolojan has refused to resign, insisting that his government must continue implementing key reforms required to unlock over €10 billion in European funding ahead of an EU-set deadline in August.
The current coalition was formed 10 months ago to curb the rise of far-right parties, but internal disputes over budget cuts have repeatedly strained relations among its members.
PSD has stated it is willing to return to a pro-European coalition, but not under Bolojan’s leadership. The PNL, however, has accused PSD of breaking coalition agreements and has ruled out forming a new partnership with them.
A stable pro-European majority is not possible without PSD, which previously ruled out governing alongside AUR. However, both PSD and AUR together control 220 of 464 parliamentary seats and could potentially reach the 233 votes needed to bring down the government with support from smaller far-right parties.
Romania, which has never held early elections, is scheduled to hold regular parliamentary elections in 2028.
