GOVERNMENT SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 000688 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AARON JENSEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL RO SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE ¶1. (SBU) On June 11, the government led by PM Calin Popescu-Tariceanu easily survived a no-confidence motion initiated by the Democratic Party (PD). The motion received only 115 votes, mostly from legislators from the pro-Basescu PD and the Liberal-Democratic Party (PLD),far fewer than the 235 votes necessary to dismiss the government. The governing parties, the National Liberal Party (PNL) of PM Tariceanu and the Hungarian party (UDMR) headed by deputy PM Marko Bela together gathered 112 votes against the motion. The other parties of the opposition, the Social-Democratic Party (PSD), the Greater Romania Party (PRM) and the Conservative Party (PC),abstained from the no-confidence vote. ¶2. (SBU) Comment. The PSD, the largest parliamentary group, announced a week before the no-confidence vote that it would abstain, making yesterday,s vote a foregone conclusion. Although its motion failed, PD leaders claimed that the no-confidence vote had forced the PSD to show its support for the current government. In turn, PSD leaders claimed that their refusal to endorse the PD no-confidence vote was evidence that the party had opted out of "choosing between the incompetence of the PNL and the demagogy of the PD." Some PSD leaders have suggested that they may introduce their own no-confidence motion after the release of the European Union,s country report on Romania in late June. End Comment. TAUBMAN