Croitoru’s proposed government axed

In his speech preceding the Parliamentary vote, Croitoru warned that the current political crisis will be costly for the Romanian state.
“The consequence of postponing reforms will mean an increase in Romania’s financing needs from €3.5 billion to €5 billion by the end of this year, considering that neither the European Union nor the International Monetary Fund will grant the [loan] tranches. Our estimate is that the political instability will lead to a rise in the cost of the Romanian state by some €1.5 billion,” Croitoru indicated.

Parliamentary opposition party leaders accused Lucian Croitoru for not withdrawing his candidature given that he had been informed that he would find no support in Parliament for his team of ministers. “Today we are living a scene from an absurd theatre play. There is no precedent in the history of consolidated democracies in which a minority group proposed an executive solution to the parliamentary majority,” the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Mircea Geoană, said.

“In any civilized country, a Prime Minister designate who does not have the support of the parliamentary majority renounces the mandate. The rejection of the government is proof of normality in a sea of political aberrations,” the leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Crin Antonescu, said.

On the other hand, the members of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) accused the opposition of political irresponsibility. “You refused any dialog with Lucian Croitoru. You have decided today’s vote before the fact, and refuse to appoint a government which Romania is in need of,” PDL Senator Radu F. Alexandru said.

A member of both the Boc and Croitoru cabinets, Minister of Finance Gheorghe Pogea, said that the responsibility of a budget for next year belongs now to the future government validated by Parliament. “The interim Boc government did its job, and it is a legitimate government that must take responsibility for the budget for 2010,” Pogea said before the vote in Parliament. Wednesday’s session also included a public statement by the two chambers according to which the Parliament commits to meeting the levels of macroeconomic indicators agreed upon by the government and international financial institutions.

Now it is up to the President to propose a new Prime Minister, following consultations with parliamentary parties. The Constitution does not specify any deadline for the President to make a second nomination for the Prime Minister position, so the fallen government headed by Emil Boc will continue to hold de facto power until a new Cabinet is validated by Parliament.