Prime Minister-designate Florin Citu of the Liberal Party and his Cabinet will face a confidence vote in Parliament on Thursday.
It is unclear whether the minority government will get enough votes although concerns about the spread of the coronavirus may mean the Citu, a former finance minister, gets more support than expected as parties decide to give his Cabinet the green light to ensure political stability during a crisis,.
Romania shut down all schools and suspended flights to and from Italy on Monday, seeking to limit the spread of the coronavirus, as the number of new infections rose to 17. At least one million Romanians live in Italy.
Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who heads the Pro-Romania group called on opposition parties to vote for Citu’s cabinet to handle the coronavirus crisis.
But the Social Democrats, Romania’s largest party is expected to vote against the government. Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu says Citu should find find alternatives to seven candidates who failed to be approved by parliamentary committees.
If parliament rejects this government, and then another one within 60 days, the president can dissolve parliament, triggering a snap poll. President Klaus Iohannis favors early elections, but it’s unclear whether there is enough political support for the option.
The Social Democrats whose popularity has dropped after three years in office, want the elections held in fall as scheduled.
Parliament ousted the Social Democrat government in October. A Liberal minority government headed by Ludovic Orban took office in November but was ousted in a vote of no-confidence in February.
