Romania's new Ungureanu government passes Parliament vote as opposition MPs skip procedure

Joi, 9 februarie 2012, 14:43 English | Top News

Romania's designated prime minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu and his proposed team of ministers passed Parliament vote on Thursday. As the opposition had announced it would skip the vote, Ungureanu's government received the vote of 237 members of the Parliament, four more than the needed threshold. As a whole, the parliamentary groups of the governing coalition have 244 senators and deputies.

A swear-in ceremony is due later today. Ungureanu said shortly after the vote that he planned a meeting of his team as early as Thursday evening.

The parliamentary debates prior to the vote today were marked by a speech of Social Democratic (PSD, opposition) leader Victor Ponta. The speech, which listed a series of questions the opposition has for the Ungureanu's government and noted that the Social Democrats were there to listen any answer to their questions, was seen as a more balanced approach by Ponta of the current relations with the governing coalition.

And that comes in contrast with a more radical position of the National Liberals, the PSD's partners in the opposition Social Liberal Union coalition.

• See the full list of Mihai Razvan Ungureanu's government