僵持冲突：布加勒斯特政府危机仍在继续

Country Office Romania, Bucharest Frozen conflict: Government crisis inBucharest continues Parliament goes into summer recess without electing a newPrime Minister,while confidence in President Dan is crumbling due to questionable crisismanagement. Dr. Stefan Hofmann, Mihai Marc The Romanian parliament's summer recess did not begin peacefully. The vote of no confidence againstPrime Minister Ilie Bolojan's (PNL) government on May 5thtriggered bitter infighting in Romania'spolitical landscape. The vote itself was already perceived as sacrilege: the motion of no confidence wasjointly introduced by the social democratic PSD and the right-wing populist AUR. It remains unclear whowas acting as a facilitator for whom. The motion received 281 votes, significantly more than therequired 233. The PSD members resigned from the government. Bolojan has since continued to governin a caretaker capacity–together with the reform-oriented USR andthe Hungarianparty (UDMR).President Nicușor Dan, attempting to mediate in the tense situation, is increasingly losing the trust ofhis former supporters. The power of networks Before the summer recess, there had been twounsuccessful attempts to install a newPrimeMinister. After fruitless negotiations with theparties, MEP Eugen Tomac, whom PresidentNicușor Dan had put forward, withdrew hiscandidacy. Dan immediately pulled AdrianVeștea, the PNL vice-chairman and Bolojan'sinternal rival, out of his hat, as a sort of aceup hissleeve.Both,the appointment itself and theexclusion of Bolojan's PNL from the process,were seen as a declaration of war and an attemptby the president to split the party. Several events surrounding the vote of noconfidence in Romanian politics gave cause forconcern: ›A bill passed the Senate that ostensibly aimsto create "transparency" regarding NGOdonors. The law is not yet effective, as it lacksa vote in the plenary session of the crucialsecond chamber; furthermore, President Danwould have to sign it. But a regulation hangslike a sword of Damocles in the parliamentaryprocess, one that is primarily intended tointimidate. Critical online media outletsare, inparticular, structured as NGOs. Pressure ontheir funders could undermine theirresources,especially ifAUR forms agovernment with the PSD, or if these parties,in the currently unlikely event of newelections, even manage to dominate the nextparliament. The PNL leadership reacted immediately, calling aparty congress to propose the expulsion ofseveral PNL representatives labeled "coupplotters." Dan had tried unsuccessfully to force aparliamentary vote on Veștea before the partycongress. Since then, the parliamentary positionshave hardened. Two options are currently on thetable: a government led by PSD leader SorinGrindeanu, for which the votes of AUR would beessential; or-as proposed by the PNL-agovernment led by PNL MEP and EPP Vice-PresidentSiegfried Mureșan, currently one of thechief negotiators for the EU's MultiannualFinancial Framework. ›Prior to the PNL party congress, the NationalAnticorruption Directorate (DNA) summonedBucharest's mayor and PNL deputy chairman,Ciprian Ciucu, on suspicion of bribery and separation of powers. And apparently, they aresucceeding. The PSD is considered the spider atthe center of these networks. However, theactors involved,above all, PSD Chairman SorinGrindeanu,remain largely invisible. GivenRomania's history, it is not surprising that manysuspect the intelligence services play an equallysignificant role. Trust in democratic institutionsand individuals can hardly be built under suchcircumstances. subsequently placed him under "judicialsupervision." Ciucu then withdrew hiscandidacy for the PNL vice presidency, citingthe need to protect the party from furtherdamage, as it could take years to clear up theallegations. ›Dominic Fritz, national chairman of the liberalUSR, which remains a coalition partner of thePNL and has consistently backedBolojaninpolitical debates, is also under fire: In June, theSupreme Court rejected his appeal against areport by the National Integrity Agency (ANI).In its report, ANI accused Fritz of a conflict ofinterest in his actions related to donations tothe USR. Political observers consider theaccusations fabricated, as Fritz had merelyconfirmed a decision made by his predecessorasmayor. A look at the key players Nicușor Danemerged victorious in the secondround of the 2025 presidential elections. In thefirst round, George Simion, the AUR candidate,had been clearly in the lead. Dan, the formermayor of Bucharest and co-founder of the liberalUSR, became a savior figure forall those whowanted to prevent the right-wing populist Simionfrom winning. However, after his empty promiseto address the scandals in the justice systemdocumented in a report by the investigativewebsite "recorder.ro," and after his maneuveringsurrounding the vote of no confidence againstBolojan, many no longer see him as a defender ofthe values he previously proclaimed. Dan is seena