Romanian Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Muresan failed to win a parliamentary vote of confidence on Wednesday, extending a months-long political crisis and increasing the prospect of snap elections.
Muresan, a liberal member of the European Parliament, received 182 votes, well short of the 233 required to confirm his government, according to the official count.
He was the third candidate put forward for the premiership since the country’s previous government fell, and his defeat raises the possibility of early elections that observers say could benefit Romania’s rising far right.
The crisis began in May, when liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government was toppled in a no-confidence motion after the centre-left Social Democratic Party quit his coalition and voted alongside the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, according to POLITICO.
Centrist President Nicusor Dan, who nominates the prime minister, has since sought to rebuild a pro-European majority without success. A first nominee failed a confidence vote in June, according to Reuters.
A snap election is now possible, but Dan does not want a vote that would risk handing power to the far right, POLITICO reported.
The prolonged deadlock threatens Romania’s investment-grade credit rating, according to reporting on the vote.
Dan is expected to consult party leaders on the next step, either nominating a fourth candidate or moving towards dissolving parliament and calling early elections.