Romania No majority support for PM-designate

Research evidence excerpt

Romania No majority support for PM-designate

23 June 2026

Romania EconomicsRomania

No majority support for PM-designate

◆ Vestea’s confidence bid fails, deadlock persists Agata Urbanska-Giner

Economist, Central and Eastern Europe

◆ Deteriorating economic and market sentiment heighten HSBC Bank plc

agata.urbanska@hsbcib.com

urgency +44 20 7992 2774

Robert Preston

◆ PSD ready to take the lead, decision sits with President Dan Rates Analyst

HSBC Bank plc

robert.preston@hsbc.com

The deadlock in the Romanian parliament continues for the seventh week. On +44 20 7991 0955

Monday (22 June), PM-designate Adrian Vestea failed to secure sufficient support to

win a confidence vote. He lacked backing from his own Liberal Party (PNL) from the

outset, as well as from its coalition partners – the reformist USR and the Hungarian

minority party UDMR. The Social Democrats supported him and, until the last

moment, he sought to negotiate backing from the nationalist AUR. However, he

ultimately failed to secure enough votes, winning 189 deputies versus the required

minimum of 233.

The initiative now returns to President Nicusor Dan to nominate another prime

ministerial candidate. Last week, PM Bolojan proposed agreeing on a minority

cabinet, either PNL-USR-UDMR or PSD-led, with a short-term mandate to enable

reforms that would unlock EU funds. After Vestea’s vote failed, PSD leader Sorin

Grindeanu said the PSD would not support a minority PNL–USR–UDMR cabinet, but

was ready to lead the next government (Digi24, 22 June). Whether this might be a

minority cabinet or a coalition with AUR remains open.

The Romanian economy has suffered a significant setback amid fiscal consolidation

efforts implemented in the past year and a half. GDP contracted by 1.2% y-o-y in Q1