Romanian centrist govt loses no-confidence vote in parliament

Romania’s centrist government led by PM Ludovic Orban lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, a development that raises the prospect of early elections.

Lawmakers voted 261 to 139 in favor of the motion proposed by two opposition parties, the Social Democrats and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania. To pass, the motion needed to be supported by 233 lawmakers.

The vote was triggered by a disputed bill backed by the government which would introduce changes to the election law, including two-round elections in mayoral races and how Romanians living abroad can cast their votes, AP said.

The minority Orban government, led by his center-right National Liberal Party, has only been in power since November, when it replaced a Social Democratic government beset by corruption scandals. National elections are scheduled to be held in late 2020. The fall of the government may bring forward the vote by several months.