By Yasin Okyay

On May 6, the Romanian government collapsed following the passage of a no-confidence motion jointly introduced by social democrats and nationalists.

The motion by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), gained 281 yes votes in the 464-seat Parliament, marking the end of the coalition government of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the PSD.

In the presidential election on May 18, 2025 Nicușor Dan, known for Atlanticist policies, secured a victory over George Simion, leader of the AUR. Following the election, a new government was formed with Ilie Bolojan being the Prime Minister.

Faced with one of the highest budget deficits in the EU, the Bolojan government implemented a series of austerity measures, known as the “Bolojan Plan”, in line with Brussels. Analysts suggest that this policy triggered the no-confidence motion and ultimately precipitated the government’s downfall.

Meanwhile, AUR Party leader George Simion has called for early elections.

We asked Miruna Pandele, Deputy Chair of the Romanian Socialist Party, about the policies of the Bolojan government and the political dynamics in the country.

A vicious war on the working class

Why did the coalition partner, the PSD, leave the government?

Unfortunately, the previous government was one of the worst in the history of the country. The ex-PM, Bolojan, waged a vicious war on the working class, cutting financial aid for students, taking pensions for the elderly to a catastrophic low, depriving young mothers of health insurance, firing young researchers and taking away benefits for the disabled. In this context, PSD had no choice but to go to extremes in order to be able to overthrow the neofascist regime of Bolojan – even though it meant they had to agree to a temporary alliance with the problematic US-aligned AUR party.

AUR Party leader George Simion has called for early elections. Is an early election likely? How will the new government in Romania take shape? Could Simion be sidelined?

I do not believe early elections are a likely scenario. Negotiations will start shortly, with several outcomes possible. We could see a PSD-AUR led government, or we could get another PM from the same party as the previous one, or they could choose someone from outside the political spectrum. It highly depends on what each party brings to the negotiation table and how the president mediates. Simion could be sidelined, as his party does not hold a majority…yet. However, all polls show that were there new elections tomorrow, his party would secure a safe majority of over 50% which would be equally problematic.

Supporters of the US’ Republican Party

What were the main reasons behind the Bolojan government’s downfall?

Bolojan chose to reduce the deficit by implementing vile and vicious policies against the lower and middle class, while pampering the rich and wealthy, protecting foreign interests and private companies and actively decimating the public sector which he threatened to destroy. His regime was quickly turning Romania into a neoliberal fascist hell. Unfortunately, in my country, there are no left-wing parties in parliament. Even the opposition which you mention is US-aligned and supports Trump. Both initiators, PSD and AUR, are longtime supporters of the Republican Party in the US, so this, unfortunately, cannot be seen as an anti-western initiative, as much as I would like it to be.

A clash between similarly aligned forces

In 2024, the presidential election won by the EU-skeptic Georgescu, was annulled. Then Simion, who shares a similar profile to Georgescu, lost the presidential election to Nicuşor Dan, a candidate closer to the EU and the Atlantic. Now, that government outposted too. Which forces are clashing in Romania?

As the vice-president of a party that strongly opposes NATO, and vouches to fight against American and Israeli fascism, I would very much like to tell you the fall of this government takes us closer to national independence and sovereignty, but it is not the case. All of these actors – PNL, USR, PSD, AUR, are closely tied to parts of the US admin, in one way or another. There is no party on the political stage that is not aligned with either the US or EU, no party criticizing the fascist regime led by Zelenskyy, so the crisis in Romania represents a clash between similarly aligned forces.

Simion and Georgescu for multipolarity?

For the media sources citing Simion or Georgescu as agents of multipolarity – I would highly advise them to check how they pander to Trump and serve the US criminal hegemony. It’s the same monster wearing different colors, serving the same Atlanticism we seek to fight against. Until we will allow left wing parties in parliament to balance this trend, I am afraid no true change will happen in the foreseeable future.