Romanian Ruling Social Democrats Withdraws From Government Coalition Talks

Romania’s ruling leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) has withdrawn from government coalition talks, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday, extending a political crisis triggered by the annulment of a presidential election this month.

The Social Democrats took the most seats in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election which also saw three ultranationalist and hard-right groupings, some with overt pro-Russian sympathies, win over a third of the seats.

The PSD was in talks over forming a wide coalition government with three other pro-European parties in an attempt to keep out the far right, but the four groupings clashed over measures needed to lower the European Union’s largest budget deficit.

“Unfortunately you cannot build something durable with partners who are incapable of overcoming their own egos and ideological cliches,” Ciolacu said on his Facebook account.

“PSD withdraws from discussions … but we will not run from accountability. We will vote for a centre-right government in parliament.”

The centre-right Liberals, centrist Save Romania Union (USR), the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR and representatives of ethnic minorities do not have enough seats to form a majority in parliament.

Reuters/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma