Opposition motion has no mathematical chances

The opposition believes it can replicate last October’s performance, when it deposed Boc 1 Government through a no confidence motion, but, strictly mathematically speaking, it lacks 22 votes to succeed in its attempt, considering two independent deputies announced yesterday they would vote for the motion. PSD (Social Democrat Party) and PNL (National Liberal Party) yesterday filed the first censure motion against the Government in this parliamentary session and hope to bring the Government down.

In order for the Government to be deposed, the opposition needs 236 votes, half the overall number of senators and deputies. But opposition parties PSD and PNL only have 212 votes together (while the parties that support the government rely on 246 votes), which means the former need to get another 24 votes from wherever they can. PSD leader Victor Ponta yesterday said they had found the eight votes necessary to depose the Government. This is a miscalculation, although it is clear what he is referring to. In the summer, when the Government assumed responsibility over the law that cut wages and pensions, the motion filed by the opposition following this move only lacked eight votes to be successful. Ponta says he has now found them. But he will need twice as many under the current circumstances. This summer, some of the PDL (ruling party) deputies announced overtly that they would vote against cutting the pensions, therefore against their own government, while others simply said they mistook the “for” ball with the “against” one, and voted for the motion instead of against it.

Things are different now, with none of the PDL deputies announcing they would vote against the Government.