National Liberal Party (PNL) MPs laid down in the plenary chamber of Parliament, during Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's speech, a huge banner with the message "We fight for Romania all the way", informs Agerpres.

At the beginning of Viorica Dancila's speech regarding the motion of no confidence, Opposition MPs laid down on the podium behind the stand several boxes that had the same message : "We fight for Romania", but also a diploma inscribed with: "The Hammer and Sickle award for Liviu Dragnea". The boxes were later on disposed of by the Chamber of Deputies staff.

The Prime Minister's speech was interrupted several times by the chanting of Opposition senators and deputies. They asked for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

"I had the decency to listen to the no-confidence motion, please have the same decency", Prime Minister Viorica Dancila replied. </s> The no-confidence motion against the Romanian Government led by Viorica Dancila failed as the opposition only gathered 166 of the needed 233 votes for it to pass. The result was predictable as the ruling coalition’s MPs didn’t even take part in the vote and neither did the Hungarian Union’s (UDMR) MPs.

During the political speeches before the vote on the motion, the opposition MPs accused the Dancila cabinet of trying to keep Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea out of jail. Meanwhile, PM Viorica Dancila held a one-hour speech in which she accused the opposition of lying and manipulating the public. She spoke about pension and salary increases and about Romania’s good economic results under PSD. However, she also made several mistakes in her speech, referring to the World Bank (Banca Mondiala in Romanian) as the Monetary Bank (Banca Monetara in Romanian), according to News.ro.

A few thousand people gathered in Izvor Park, next to the Parliament’s Palace, to protest against the ruling coalition. They asked for the Government’s resignation and were greeted by opposition leaders. A few dozen people also gathered close to the Parliament’s Palace in support of the Government.

Pro- and anti-govt. rallies expected at Romanian Parliament during no-confidence motion vote </s> BUCHAREST, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Romania's month-old government expects to easily survive a no-confidence motion and "get back to work" on Wednesday, the prime minister said, after mass street protests forced it into an embarrassing U-turn over a graft decree.

Critics said the decree, which also drew condemnation from Romania's Western allies, would have turned back the clock on the fight against corruption in the ex-communist nation. The government rescinded the decree on Sunday.

Despite the scale of the protests, the largest Romania has seen since the 1989 fall of communism, the ruling Social Democrats and their allies have a large majority in parliament after winning a December election.

"This motion has no scope and no target," Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu told lawmakers at the start of the debate on the motion. "I do hope that as of today we get back to work."

Grindeanu, whose government has been badly shaken by the protests, pledged not to consider any further initiatives similar to the decree "that could awake powerful emotions in society without proper and wide debate".

The decree would have decriminalised a number of graft offences and effectively shielded dozens of public officials from prosecution for graft.

Before the debate, around a dozen protesters wrote RESIST in the snow that had fallen overnight in front of the government headquarters. But the number of people attending daily protests - which reached a quarter of a million on Sunday - has fallen sharply since the government's climbdown.

The text of the no-confidence motion, signed by 123 members of opposition parties, read: "Romanian society has been betrayed and the citizen has been lied to by those who were granted his vote during the election."

Raluca Turcan, the leader of the centre-right National Liberal party, told the debate: "The only solution is your urgent resignation. You must pay with your jobs."

Social Democrat sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told Reuters they expect Justice Minister Florin Iordache to submit his resignation on Wednesday.

Parliament must still endorse the government's decision to rescind the graft decree. That vote is expected to come towards the end of the week. (Additional reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Matt Robinson and Gareth Jones) </s> BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s left-wing government easily survived a no-confidence vote Wednesday that was submitted by the opposition in Parliament, which claimed it has weakened democracy and the rule of law.

The motion initiated by the Liberal Party secured 166 votes, far short of the 233 it needed to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. She was appointed in January, becoming the third premier since the ruling Social Democratic Party came to power through the December 2016 parliamentary election.

The powerful leader of the Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, received a 3 1/2 year sentence last week for abuse of power in office. His party has rallied around him, pending a final verdict. Dragnea can’t be prime minister due to a 2016 vote-rigging conviction.

Thousands of Romanians gathered in a park near Parliament ahead of Wednesday’s vote, yelling “Resign!” and waving Romanian flags while riot police stood guard. Some companies gave employees the day off to protest.

Dancila defended the government’s performance, saying it had raised salaries and pensions while insisting that opposition lawmakers created “a list of falsehoods made in bad faith.”

Opposition lawmakers booed the prime minister as she spoke and unfurled a giant banner reading, “We will fight to the end for Romania.” Social Democratic lawmakers did not vote.

Romanians have staged daily protests as the governments moves to implement new laws that critics say will weaken the nation’s fight against corruption.

Dan Barna, leader of the opposition Union to Save Romania, said the Social Democrats were guilty of “changing laws to make sure Dragnea doesn’t go to prison.” </s> Romania’s Social Democrat-led government survived a no-confidence motion on Wednesday – but faced more turbulence outside parliament, where thousands of anti-corruption protesters gathered to demand Prime Minister Viorica Dancila’s resignation.

Tensions rose also in the legislature over new security regulations that banned opposition MPs from inviting their supporters and advisors into the building – while journalists’ access was restricted for the first time since the 1989 revolution to a limited press area.

The motion submitted by the opposition Liberals, and backed by the Save Romania Union and the nationalist Popular Movement Party, came 67 votes short of the 233 votes needed to bring down the government.

“You’re mystifying reality,” Dancila told the debate. “To you, a rise in income is a populist measure… there are many lies in this motion,” she added.

Her speech was interrupted several times by opposition MPs who chanted “Resignation! Resignation!” and put up a banner reading, “We fight until the end for Romania.”

The Liberals failed to win the support of the main ethnic Hungarian party in parliament, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, which holds 21 seats.

It did win the support of MPs gathered around former Social Democrat leader Victor Ponta, who left the ruling party to form his own political faction, but their votes were not enough.

Social Democrat MPs did not vote, as the party wanted to avoid the risk of any of its MPs supporting the no-confidence motion.

Over 70 Social Democrat supporters were allowed into the balconies of the chamber, as the law allows citizens to observe debates.

 Opposition MPs protesting during Prime Minister Viorica Dancila’s speech. Photo: Octav Ganea/Inquam Photos

But their presence angered opposition MPs, after the ruling coalition banned MPs from Save Romania Union – the third force in parliament – from bringing their own guests into the complex, including their advisors.

Among those who were denied access to the chamber was Save Romania Union’s communications advisor, Ioana Lupea.

Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea “is not allowing me to go inside the parliament. He gave the order that no USR guest can enter the building. The Social Democrats’ guests are allowed in, I just saw a group of women happily entering the building. So today I will work from the hallway. I have this before ’89 feeling. Really bad,” she wrote on Facebook.

The new regulations were adopted on Tuesday by the leadership of the two chambers, after Save Romania Union MPs allowed a group of anti-corruption protesters to enter parliament on June 20 and stage a sit-in against the ruling party’s plan to relax anti-graft legislation.

Journalists’ movement and access were also restricted to a press area, several reporters told BIRN. The move is unprecedented as journalists were formerly free to move around and interview MPs.

News website G4media.ro said a leading Social Democrat MP, Eugen Nicolicea, had told reporters that their access was restricted because their presence bothered the meetings.

“You have all the facilities you need on the ground floor. There is a press room, you have what you need there. But you’re sitting here, lying around like in a bus station,” he told the media.

Nicolicea also submitted a proposal on Wednesday to punish MPs who are deemed undisciplined with 20 to 30 day suspensions. The move was a response to the fact that Save Romania Union MPs have often staged protests during debates.

Meanwhile, about 5,000 protesters, many of them Save Romania Union supporters, rallied in Izvor Park, right next to parliament, to demand Dancila’s resignation.

Protesters organized on social media, and several companies announced they gave their employees the day off to join the protests. </s> Florin Iordache, co-architect of controversial corruption measure that set off rallies, resigns citing 'public opinion'.

Romania's justice minister has resigned after huge nationwide protests over government efforts to weaken anti-corruption laws through a decree.

Florin Iordache's resignation on Thursday came as rallies calling for the government to resign continued despite the Social Democratic-led leadership's pledge to scrap the decree, which would have decriminalised some corruption offences.

"I have decided to offer my resignation," said Iordache, 56, a co-architect of the January emergency rule which critics say would have protected corrupt politicians from prosecution.

He defended his record at the justice ministry saying he carried out "all necessary actions to remedy a series of sensitive problems".

"But despite that, public opinion did not consider it sufficient, and that's why I have decided to submit my resignation."

Iordache said all of his "initiatives were legal and constitutional".

Against this turbulent backdrop, Sorin Grindeanu, Romania's prime minister, survived a no-confidence vote on Wednesday despite the ongoing protests.

Bowing to pressure, the government scrapped the ordinance on Sunday as up to 500,000 people protested across the country.

The rallies were the largest protests since the fall of communist rule in 1989.

In a related development on Thursday, Romania's constitutional court said it would not rule on the decree.

The decree was referred to the court by Victor Ciorbea, the national ombudsman, on February 3, two days before the Social Democrats withdrew it.

"This decree does not exist anymore. It was scrapped [by the government]," said Valer Dorneanu, the court president.

"We start from the truth that the emergency decree no longer exists."

The withdrawal must still be approved by parliament.

Asked what would happen if parliament does not do so, Dorneanu said: "We don't judge based on suppositions." </s> BUCHAREST, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Romania's Social Democrat-led government easily survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Wednesday, three days after mass street protests forced it into an embarrassing U-turn over a graft decree.

Critics said the decree, which also drew condemnation from Romania's Western allies, would have turned back the clock on the fight against corruption in the ex-communist nation of 20 million people. The government rescinded the decree on Sunday.

"I do hope that as of today we get back to work," Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu told lawmakers before the vote.

The Social Democrats and their allies control nearly two thirds of the seats in parliament after winning a December election. They abstained in Wednesday's vote, when 161 lawmakers backed the no-confidence motion and eight voted against.

The government, however, has been badly shaken by the protests, the largest in Romania since the 1989 fall of communism, and opposition parties vowed after Wednesday's vote to continue their close scrutiny of the ruling party's actions.

One minister resigned last week saying he could not support the decree and the Social Democrats have said they are considering the position of Justice Minister Florin Iordache, the architect of the decree.

Party sources have told Reuters he may resign on Wednesday and Grindeanu said on Wednesday a decision on Iordache would be announced on Thursday.

Opposition deputy Catalin Predoiu said of the no-confidence motion: "This is a warning signal that we managed to gather the votes of the whole opposition and it also shows that whenever the new government derails we will gather and sanction it."

Grindeanu said his government would not consider any further initiatives similar to the rescinded decree "that could awake powerful emotions in society without proper and wide debate".

The decree would have decriminalised a number of graft offences and effectively shielded dozens of public officials from prosecution for graft.

Before the debate, around a dozen protesters wrote 'RESIST' in the snow that had fallen overnight in front of the government headquarters. But the number of people attending daily protests - which reached a quarter of a million on Sunday - has fallen sharply since the government's climbdown.

Parliament must still endorse the government's decision to rescind the graft decree. That vote is expected to come towards the end of the week.

Romania remains one of the poorest and most graft-prone member states of the European Union, which it joined in 2007. (Additional reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Matt Robinson and Gareth Jones) </s> Romania’s Government has survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament on Wednesday. 161 MPs voted against the government; 233 votes would be required for the motion to pass.

The submission of a non-confidence motion was the opposition’s reaction to the government’s introduction of a cluster of Penal Code amendments last week. The bill that passed through the Parliament in the evening of January 31st decriminalized some corruption offenses and triggered a wave of protests unseen in Romania since the fall of communism.

The bill that was championed by the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) has now become an anathema. The Minister of justice Florin Iordache that drafted the law was expected to resign on Wednesday evening. It remains to be seen whether the political sacrifice will suffice.

Last week President Klaus Iohannis joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protesting across Romania before the government was forced to withdraw the bill. Now, the protestors are demanding the government’s resignation, which does not seem forthcoming.

However, following the withdrawal of the bill and the expected resignation of a cabinet minister, pressure from Brussels seems to be easing.

In a press conference with French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that Romania is in the process of “recovering.”

European Commission spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, spoke earlier this week about possible backtracking in the fight against corruption in Romania. </s> Romania‘s Social Democrat-led government easily survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Wednesday, three days after mass street protests forced it into an embarrassing U-turn over a graft decree.

Critics said the decree, which also drew rebukes from Romania‘s Western allies, would have turned back the clock on the fight against corruption in the ex-communist nation of 20 million people. The government rescinded the decree on Sunday.

“I do hope that as of today we get back to work,” Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu told lawmakers before the vote.

The Social Democrats and their allies control nearly two thirds of the seats in parliament after winning a December election. They abstained in Wednesday’s vote, when 161 lawmakers backed the no-confidence motion and eight voted against.

The government, however, has been badly shaken by the protests, the largest in Romania since the 1989 fall of communism, and opposition parties vowed after Wednesday’s vote to continue their close scrutiny of the ruling party’s actions.

One minister resigned last week saying he could not support the decree and the Social Democrats have said they are considering the position of Justice Minister Florin Iordache, the architect of the decree.

Party sources have told Reuters he may resign on Wednesday and Grindeanu said on Wednesday a decision on Iordache would be announced on Thursday.

Opposition deputy Catalin Predoiu said of the no-confidence motion: “This is a warning signal that we managed to gather the votes of the whole opposition and it also shows that whenever the new government derails we will gather and sanction it.”

Grindeanu said his government would not consider any further initiatives similar to the rescinded decree “that could awake powerful emotions in society without proper and wide debate”.

The decree would have decriminalised a number of graft offences and effectively shielded dozens of public officials from prosecution for graft.

Romania remains one of the poorest and most graft-prone member states of the European Union, which it joined in 2007.

Before the debate, around a dozen protesters wrote ‘RESIST’ in the snow that had fallen overnight in front of the government headquarters. But the number of people attending daily protests – which reached a quarter of a million on Sunday – has fallen sharply since the government’s climbdown.

Parliament must still endorse the government’s decision to rescind the graft decree and it is expected to hold a session towards the end of the week.

On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court rejected challenges on procedural grounds brought against the rescinded decree by Romania‘s president and by the top magistrates’ council.

The court said it would reconvene on Thursday to consider a separate challenge brought by Romania‘s ombudsman against the content of the decree.
The cabinet of Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă survives a motion of no confidence. During the vote, several thousand oppossition supporters protest outside Parliament, calling for the resignation of the government.