The motion, signed by PSD, AUR, POT, SOS Romania, Peace – Romania First, and unaffiliated members, accuses Bolojan of mismanaging the economy and planning the largest sale of strategic assets in two decades without consultation. Debate and a secret vote are scheduled for May 5, with 233 votes needed to pass. PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu described the initiative as a parliamentary move to increase the vote's chances of success and denied any post-motion political agreement.
AUR leader George Simion expressed optimism that the motion reflects the will of the Romanian people. The PSD voted overwhelmingly to withdraw support for Bolojan, and Grindeanu promised immediate action. The move follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu a day after the presidential election first round, where coalition candidate Crin Antonescu came third.
The PSD-AUR initiative is a parliamentary move to increase the vote's chances of success and there is no post-motion political agreement.
Ciolacu said the PSD would withdraw from the pro-Western coalition, effectively ending it, while ministers stay on in an interim capacity until a new majority emerges after the presidential run-off. He also stated that fielding a common candidate was a condition of the coalition. The identity of the PSD leader remains unclear, with both Grindeanu and Ciolacu cited in different reports.
Bolojan's government had raised taxes to tackle the EU's largest budget deficit, causing dissatisfaction within PSD. Bolojan warned that a government reshuffle now would cause economic chaos and risk losing billions of euros in EU funds. Failure to implement new reforms by August could cost Romania billions in EU funding.
A government reshuffle now would cause economic chaos and risk losing billions of euros in EU funds.
President Nicusor Dan attempted to reassure citizens that Romania would stay on course financially and continue accessing European funds despite the turbulence. Hard-right eurosceptic George Simion won the first round of the presidential election rerun with about 41% of votes and will face Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan in a May 18 run-off. The first attempt to hold the election was cancelled five months earlier due to alleged Russian interference in favour of far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu, who was banned from standing again.
Simion has said he could appoint Georgescu prime minister should he win. Some analysts think a Simion victory could isolate Romania, erode private investment, and destabilise NATO's eastern flank. Europe's Socialists have spent years scolding the centre-right for cutting deals with the far right, and now face the same charge over PSD's cooperation with AUR.
Immediate action following the vote to withdraw support.
Vula Tsetsi, chair of the European Green Party, said that if PSD topples the government and strikes a coalition with AUR, they would be crossing a red line they themselves set in Europe. Two officials familiar with the matter said Socialists in Brussels were unaware of the plans in Romania. Iratxe García, chair of the Socialists and Democrats, told POLITICO she expects its Romanian peers to work with pro-European forces in future.
The 2024 EU election produced the most right-wing Parliament in the bloc's history, with the far-right Patriots group becoming the third-largest force. Mainstream conservatives have increasingly worked with far-right parties in countries including the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Croatia and Austria. Patryk Jaki, co-chair of the ECR group, told POLITICO it is obvious his political forces can no longer be ignored.
In 2025, Lithuania's Social Democrats struck a coalition agreement with Dawn of Nemunas, a party reportedly planning to join the Patriots group, and the Party of European Socialists did not publicly criticize the move. NGOs warned in an open letter that planned public media reforms by Lithuania's Social Democrats and their coalition partner would undermine media freedom. President Nicusor Dan described a PSD-AUR government as very unlikely.
Before the vote, Bolojan ruled out resigning. Forming a new majority government is expected to be difficult. There is confusion over the timeline and the identity of the prime minister.
Some reports suggest Bolojan already lost a no-confidence vote after PSD left the coalition and joined AUR, while others indicate the vote is scheduled for May 5, though the claim of a lost vote is unconfirmed. The exact sequence of Ciolacu's resignation and Bolojan's targeting remains unclear. PSD has ruled out forming a government with AUR, yet they collaborated on the motion.