The announcement requires the vote of Parliament: „We are not lacking resources, we lack trust” – In the speech delivered in the plenary before the investiture vote, designated Prime Minister Adrian Veste appealed for stability and unity, stating that Romania’s main issue is not the lack of resources, but the lack of trust. „We are not lacking capable people, we are not lacking resources, we are not lacking opportunities. We lack trust,” Veste said. He argued that the future government’s mission is to „rebuild this trust through work, seriousness, dialogue, and results” and warned that the country urgently needs a fully empowered executive. „We no longer need scandal, we need direction. We no longer need division, we need unity,” declared the designated Prime Minister, requesting parliamentary confidence for the new Cabinet. Veste promised to continue public investments and projects financed from European funds, support for Romanian entrepreneurship, and maintaining fiscal predictability. He also spoke about administrative reform, reducing bureaucracy, digitalizing public services, investing in education and healthcare, as well as accelerating infrastructure projects and the absorption of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Photo: Inquam/ George Călin
Minorities vote for Veste – The parliamentary leader of the minorities group, Varujan Pambuccian, announced that 15 out of the 17 members of the Minorities Group in Parliament will vote for the investiture of the Veste government.
PSD counts on over 230 votes – Marian Neacșu (PSD) says he counts on „around 240 votes” for the Veste Government.
The joint plenary session of Parliament has begun to vote on the investiture of the Veste Government – The designated Prime Minister needs 233 votes for investiture.
Sorin Grindeanu leaves negotiations – Announces that the vote will take place this evening.
The Minorities Group is with Veste – The parliamentary leader of the minorities group, Varujan Pambuccian, announced, after a group meeting, that 15 out of the 17 members of the Minorities Group in Parliament will vote for the investiture of the Veste government.
The extraordinary Government session has ended – Ilie Bolojan made brief statements to the press: The third renegotiation regarding the PNRR is being finalized. Our colleagues managed to maintain over 13 billion euros as grants. By the end of August, we still need to absorb 5 billion euros. One of the important negotiation elements is related to saving the financing component for highways. Another directive was related to reforms, milestones, and targets, where negotiations were conducted so that where we cannot reach the targets, the European Commission has accepted reduced targets. Important negotiations were conducted on the decarbonization component.
Manole receives approval for the Ministry of Labor – Florin Manole, proposed for the position of Minister of Labor, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity, received favorable approval. He was supported by 39 parliamentarians, while 22 voted against, and four abstained.
Favorable approval also for the Ministry of Culture – PSD deputy Ioan Vulpescu received favorable approval on Monday from the parliamentary committees for taking over the Culture portfolio in the Veste Government. The members of the joint culture committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate voted 10 „for,” six „against,” and two abstentions. Before the vote, AUR representatives left the room.
Luca Niculescu receives approval for Foreign Affairs – Luca Niculescu, proposed for the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Veste Government, received favorable approval from the parliamentary committees. His candidacy was supported by 25 parliamentarians, while 13 voted against, and one abstained.
Bolojan: Power should be used for reforms, not for privileges – Just half an hour before the vote for the investiture of the new Government, interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan posted on Facebook a message. Without making direct references to current negotiations or the party crisis, Bolojan argued that Romania can only be changed through „good governance” and by parties that use power for reforms, not for personal benefits. „A country changes for the better only when power is used for reforms and results, not for privileges and party interests,” wrote Bolojan. He added that serious parties should not view holding positions as a source of benefits for those in power, but as a tool for modernizing the country.
The hearings continue – Florin Manole, proposed for the Ministry of Labor, Luca Niculescu, proposed for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ionuț Vulpescu, proposed to take over the portfolio of the Ministry of Culture, are being heard.
Ivan and Cîmpeanu in discussions with Grindeanu after meeting with AUR – Bogdan Ivan and Sorin Cîmpeanu, proposed for positions in the future Veste Cabinet, arrived at the office of PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu shortly after participating with the designated Prime Minister in discussions with the AUR leadership. According to images captured at Parliament, Adrian Veste did not accompany the two to the meeting with the PSD leader.
Rogobete receives approval for the Ministry of Health – Alexandru Rogobete, proposed for the position of Minister of Health, received favorable approval from the parliamentary committees. His candidacy was supported by 19 parliamentarians, while six voted against, and two abstained. Before the vote, AUR representatives left the hearing session.
Zaharia receives negative approval – Florin-Alexandru Zaharia, proposed for the position of Minister of Investments and European Projects, received an unfavorable approval from the parliamentary committees. Following the hearing, his candidacy was rejected with 14 votes against and 13 in favor, while two parliamentarians abstained.
Simion: AUR does not consider a vote for Veste – AUR leader George Simion described the consultations with designated Prime Minister Adrian Veste as „a step towards normalcy,” given his party’s weight in Parliament. However, Simion stated that AUR does not consider supporting the Government in the investiture vote, citing „restrictions” imposed by President Nicușor Dan. He requested clarification from the head of state. Until 9:30 p.m. He wants to know if they are still considered extremists.
Veste left negotiations with AUR – Designated Prime Minister Adrian Veste left the AUR headquarters after about 45 minutes of discussions with the party’s leaders. Upon exiting, he stated that he will continue his efforts to form the Executive and confirmed that the investiture procedure will proceed. „I have a mandate to form a government. We will proceed with the investiture this evening. We will request that parliamentarians cast their votes,” said Veste. Bogdan Ivan and Sorin Cîmpeanu participated in the negotiations at the AUR headquarters.
Press briefing after the Government meeting – The Executive announced that it will hold a press briefing after the extraordinary meeting called by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan at 8:00 p.m.
Neacșu receives approval and says he has „no problem” with AUR votes – Marian Neacșu, proposed for the positions of Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, received favorable approval from the parliamentary committees with 19 „for” votes and 10 „against.” After the hearings, when asked about the possibility of the future Executive being invested with the support of AUR, he stated that the priority is to form a government with parliamentary support. „In politics, nothing is excluded. First, we need to have a government, and second, we need to have a government with real support,” Neacșu affirmed. When asked if he has reservations about a government voted by AUR, he replied: „I personally have no problem.”
Peiu threatens to leave AUR – Petrișor Peiu, considered the second man in AUR, stated that he will leave the party if George Simion decides to support the investiture of the Veste Government. „If George Simion comes and tells us that we have to vote for Adrian Veste, I will withdraw,” Peiu declared to Gândul.
Adrian Veste arrived at the AUR headquarters. Negotiations with George Simion will follow.
Stoiciu requests the withdrawal of Veste’s mandate – Former PSD senator Victoria Stoiciu asks President Nicușor Dan to withdraw the mandate of designated Prime Minister Adrian Veste after his announcement that he will discuss with AUR leader George Simion before the investiture vote. Stoiciu describes the negotiations with AUR as „unacceptable” and warns about the „normalization of extremism.”
The hearing of Florin-Alexandru Zaharia has begun (independent), proposed for the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE), and Alexandru Rogobete, proposed for the Ministry of Health, are being heard.
Mihai Ghigiu (PSD) received favorable approval from the specialized committees, with 21 votes for, 14 against, and three abstentions. He was nominated for the Environment portfolio.
Radu Marinescu (PSD) received favorable approval, with 68 votes for and 31 against. He was re-nominated for the position of Minister of Justice.
Audieri Guvernul PSD: Radu Marinescu, (re)propus la Ministerul Justiției
Marian Neacșu is heard – The hearings in the committees of Marian Neacșu, proposed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, have begun.
Strike in Parliament during the Government’s investiture – Public officials from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have announced that they will go on a Japanese strike during the investiture procedures of the Veștea Government. The unions protest against what they call a „humiliating level of remuneration” and accuse that the new unified salary law project maintains existing discriminations. Employees continue their work but wear distinctive signs to signal their dissatisfaction.
Bolojan convenes the Government for an extraordinary meeting – The Executive will meet this evening after the dismissed Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, called for an extraordinary Government meeting at 8:00 p.m. The announcement was made through an official statement, but the agenda of the meeting has not been made public at this time.
Adrian Veştea goes to the AUR headquarters to negotiate, as summoned by George Simion – The designated Prime Minister announced on Facebook: „I am a man of dialogue and consensus. Understanding the responsibility that falls on me to end the political chaos, I will have a meeting with the AUR president, George Simion.”
New hearings have begun – Mihai Ghighiu (PSD) for Environment, Radu Marinescu (PSD) – returned to Justice, and Eduard Mititelu (former PNL) to Digital Transformation.
Audieri Guvernul PSD: Mihai Ghigiu, propus la Ministerul Mediului
Audieri Guvernul PSD: Eduard Mititelu, propus ministru delegat pentru Transformare Digitală
Monica Anisiereceives favorable opinion, by a narrow margin, for the position of Minister of Education and stated that she will never resign from the PNL, to which she says she has belonged „for a lifetime.” She has not been officially asked for an honorable resignation and has rejected accusations of betrayal, claiming to remain faithful to liberal principles and the education system. Results: 22 votes in favor, 18 votes against, 3 abstentions. AUR parliamentarians left the room at the time of the vote.
Positive review for Bogdan Ivan – The vote in the committees was also conducted online. There were 35 „for” votes, 17 „against,” and one abstention. Among the parliamentarians who voted online in favor of Ivan was Victor Ponta. The President of the Senate, Mircea Abrudean, voted against. AUR left the room and did not participate in the vote. Iulian Mititelu (PNL Iași) voted in favor. In the end, Bogdan Ivan received a positive review.
Negative review for Romeo Lungu - Negative review from the committee for Romeo Lungu (PSD) at Development. Here too, AUR parliamentarians left the room at the time of the vote. "I don't think it was about arguments. PSD has 15 votes in the 2 committees, I think I convinced another 4 parliamentarians. We had 19 in favor, that's what the minutes say. Unfortunately, you needed a total of 22 votes. In fact, we had more votes in favor, but this threshold had to be reached. You saw that the AUR parliamentarians left the room," said Lungu upon leaving the hearing.
Positive review for Florin Barbu in Agriculture - Florin Barbu (PSD) received a favorable review in the Agriculture Committee. Important note: AUR parliamentarians left the room at the time of the vote. PSD parliamentarians voted for Barbu. USR and PNL voted against, with the exception of the liberals George Scarlat (Galaţi) and Alexandru Popa (Brăila), who voted "for." UDMR abstained, and unaffiliated parliamentarians voted against.
Audieri Guvernul PSD: Bogdan Ivan, propus la Ministerul Energiei
Former PSD ministers also attended the hearing - Bogdan Ivan for Energy and Florin Barbu for Agriculture.
Audieri Guvernul PSD: Romeo-Daniel Lungu, propus la Ministerul Dezvoltării
Will AUR leave the room during the vote? - The leader of the AUR senators, Petrişor Peiu, claims that AUR parliamentarians will leave the room during the plenary vote for the Veștea Government. "It's hard to pressure a party, but some parliamentarians can be pressured. Even I was called by various acquaintances, not directly from the Social Democrats, but people with connections in all parties. They tell me we need to save the country, there were quite a few," Peiu said. The AUR's No. 2 cannot guarantee that all AUR parliamentarians will not enter the room to vote: "There's no certainty, and you can't force a parliamentarian not to do something. The AUR party has nothing to gain from voting for this government; we have something to lose."
Parliamentary Timings - The Parliament's leadership has approved the maximum time allocated for the debates in the joint plenary session starting at 9:30 p.m. Prime Minister-designate Adrian Veștea will have 30 minutes at his disposal, which he can use at the beginning and end of the debates. The PSD parliamentary groups will have 11 minutes, AUR - 8 minutes, PNL - 6 minutes, USR - 5 minutes, UDMR - 3 minutes, United for Romania - 2 minutes, the minority group, S.O.S. Romania, and Peace First Romania - 1 minute each, and unaffiliated members - 2 minutes.
The Veștea Government will pass with AUR votes - Our sources say that PSD has obtained enough votes from AUR to pass the Veștea Government.
The vote will be at night - The Joint Standing Bureaus have resumed the session, and AUR voted alongside PSD on the inauguration schedule. So, ministerial hearings will start very quickly, and the vote in the Parliament's plenary will take place at 9:30 p.m.! Each minister's hearing will last about 30 minutes, but in some cases, they may be extended.
Bolojan obtained the suspension of the BP session - The PNL leadership obtained the suspension of the Permanent Bureaus session of Parliament after requesting that the PNL logo not appear next to the names of liberals who agreed to enter this Cabinet on the list of Veștea Government ministers. "We inform the public that the Joint Permanent Bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on Monday morning was suspended at the request of PNL members because we found a flaw that could lead to the unconstitutionality of the government's investiture procedure. The inclusion of the name "PNL" as a political affiliation next to the designated prime minister is false, abusive, and seriously affects the political composition of the Government," PNL stated.
Ludovic Orban threatens to dismiss Nicușor Dan - Former Prime Minister and Liberal leader Ludovic Orban launched a harsh attack on President Nicușor Dan, accusing him of betraying those who supported him and allying with political and institutional forces against which he should have fought. In a Facebook post, Orban reproaches the head of state for getting close to PSD, the lack of reforms in justice and services, and involvement in changing the Bolojan Government. The former presidential adviser states that Nicușor Dan "no longer represents him" and warns that he could end up supporting his dismissal, which he considers, in perspective, "the biggest threat to democracy in Romania."
Petrişor Peiu confirms intense negotiations with AUR - AUR Senate leader Petrişor Peiu confirms that Adrian Veștea's allies are desperately seeking votes. "Nicușor Dan and PSD have put themselves in the difficult situation of proposing a government that cannot pass the Parliament's vote. The only way out they found is to pressure AUR to vote for the government's investiture. But that would bring down the AUR party. The logical question is: why would AUR self-destruct to save PSD?" Peiu wrote on Facebook. And in response to a netizen, he added, "They won't vote. I'm responding to those who are pressuring them."
How many betrayals are announced - Our sources tell us that Veștea's allies hope to get about 20 votes from AUR and about 25 from PNL. This means they are on the edge.
The schedule is set - The Permanent Bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate will meet on Monday to establish the schedule for the investiture of the Veștea Government. The session is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., in an online format. In the first stage, the candidates for ministerial positions will be heard in the specialized committees. Subsequently, the Chambers will meet in a joint session for the investiture vote. Prime Minister-designate Adrian Veștea submitted the Government list and governance program to Parliament on Sunday evening.
