Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the leader of the National Liberal Party-PNL, said on Monday that the party would not leave the government as speculated on Sunday. Tariceanu said after a PNL leadership meeting today that a proposal for the withdrawal of the party from the government was rejected with 31 votes against and two in favor.

The meeting took place a day after PNL vice-president Ludovic Orban said in the wake of the May 19 referendum that the Bucharest branch of the party would propose the withdrawal from the government. The idea came as the political group suffered a crushing defeat in their move, supported by the opposition Social Democrats, to remove President Traian Basescu through a referendum on Saturday.

When suspended Basescu’s return to power was announced Saturday evening, PM Tariceanu pledged his party would collaborate with the head of state from now on.