The siege on the Bolojan Cabinet extends even from within its own majority. After a record year of motions tabled by the Opposition, the wave of criticism is now hitting from both directions, with the Coalition parties starting to hold their own ministers to account.
The parliamentary onslaught shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Since the installation of the Bolojan Government, 20 simple and censure motions have been submitted in total, the main actors being often USR ministers, but members of other parties, especially liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, have not been left out of sight either.
Wave of simple motions against ministers
No less than 14 simple motions were submitted by the Opposition in Parliament, represented in particular by AUR or more recently the Pace – First Romania group, against the cabinet led by Ilie Bolojan. Among those who passed through the fire of Parliament are Andras Demeter, Oana Țoiu, Radu Marinescu, Cătălin Predoiu, Ciprian Șerban, Bogdan Gruia, Florin Barbu, as well as the former Minister of Education Daniel David.
Diana Buzoianu (USR), the Minister of the Environment and Radu Miruță (USR), former Minister of the Economy and current head of the portfolio for Defense, passed through two votes in the Parliament. And the Education portfolio was targeted twice, once under the leadership of Daniel David and once under the interim leadership of Prime Minister Bolojan.
The last target of the wave of simple motions submitted by the Opposition since the beginning of the year is Dragoș Pîslaru. The Minister of European Funds reacted with irony to learning the news, at the same time claiming that the simple motion submitted by the parliamentarians of the Pace – First Romania group was drafted with the help of AI.
“A group of peace warriors (sic!) through Parliament, still seeking attention. The same group that has submitted all the motions so far. The same group that pretends to love the country and the nation, while spreading Russian propaganda in the public space and blaming the victim for the aggressor’s attack. Out of naivety or obviously with intent and mandate. The text of the motion is written with ChatGPT” he wrote in a post on Facebook.
Record of censure motions
Last year, from the installation of the Bolojan Government until the end of the year, 6 censure motions were voted on, a record. Only two other legislative sessions have exceeded that number, but in all four years of office.
The passing of a simple motion in the Parliament, however, takes place in the plenary of a single chamber and does not automatically attract the dismissal of the minister.
