The vote in the PNL’s leading body was decisive: only six of the 56 members voted against the proposal, while one abstained, Hotnews.ro reported.
However, the decision followed lengthy debates, with some Liberal MPs questioning the choice to support a government formed mainly by members of the party that ousted Liberal PM Ilie Bolojan, in collaboration with the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), on May 5 and continued its parliamentary cooperation with AUR.
"Normally, the Liberal Party (PNL) would not have backed Niculescu’s PSD-dominated government, but Romania needs a functioning government to avoid the collapse of basic public institutions and services," Liberal leader and acting prime minister Ilie Bolojan explained.
He stressed that the Liberals would remain in opposition.
"We decided to position the party in opposition and grant a conditional and punctual ‘vote of necessity’ for the inauguration of the prime minister designated by the President of Romania," Bolojan announced after the party leadership meeting.
Acting deputy prime minister Oana Gheorghiu and MEP Siegfried Mureșan also issued public statements explaining the PNL’s decision to vote for the cabinet proposed by Luca Niculescu.
So far, PSD, PNL, the Hungarian party UDMR, the national minorities’ parliamentary group and the ‘United for Romania’ group of former prime minister Victor Ponta have expressed their support. If these parties and groups vote for the government at the joint session of the two parliamentary chambers on October 20, they will provide 279 votes, exceeding the 233 required for investiture.
Luca Niculescu is the fourth prime minister-designate put forward by president Nicușor Dan since the government was ousted by a PSD-AUR no-confidence motion on May 5.
The first nominee, presidential adviser Eugen Tomac, was replaced before reaching a parliamentary vote. His replacement, Adrian Vestea (PNL), marked an escalation in tensions between president Dan and PM Ilie Bolojan: Vestea was nominated without the Liberals’ consent, apparently with the aim of splitting the Liberal Party to the Social Democrats’ advantage.
The third nominee, Liberal Siegfried Mureșan, was presented by president Dan as highly unlikely to secure a majority. Rather, the nomination appeared intended to give the president the option of dissolving Parliament after two failed investiture votes.
By using his powers in this way for the first time, president Dan has created a solid parliamentary platform for independent PM-designate Luca Niculescu, who will serve as an interface for the PSD-led minority cabinet.