Romanian far-right parties gain leadership roles in Chamber of Deputies as PNL and USR walk out

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7 days · 5 summary articles
Romania’s Chamber of Deputies erupted in conflict on Tuesday as the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR) walked out of the plenary session after losing two leadership positions in the Permanent Bureau to the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and SOS Romania. The vote redistributed two secretary roles, previously held by PNL and USR, to AUR and SOS, prompting both parties to announce they would challenge the decision at the Constitutional Court.
PNL deputy Robert Sighiartău confirmed earlier in the day that the party’s parliamentary group had decided “almost unanimously” to strip political support and leadership roles from PNL members who voted alongside the Social Democratic Party (PSD) to install Prime Minister Adrian Veștea’s government. Among those affected are Nicoleta Pauliuc, chair of the Senate’s Defense Committee, and Lucian Bode, chair of the Chamber’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee, both of whom will be replaced, according to party sources .
The leadership shuffle extended to other PNL members, including Andrei Baciu, vice chair of the Defense Committee, Ciprian Pandea, secretary of the Budget and Finance Committee, and Mihail Veștea, vice chair of the Senate’s Administration Committee. Alina Gorghiu and Ionuț Stroe were also targeted for removal from international bodies, with Gorghiu set to lose her role in Romania’s NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation and her vice chair position in the Chamber’s Legal Committee .
USR leader Diana Stoica condemned the vote as evidence of a “toxic majority” between PSD and extremist parties, stating that PSD had “handed extremists more power in the Chamber’s leadership.” She added that if this alliance represents PSD’s intended governing majority, “we expect to see the new government backed by this majority. If no responsible majority exists, the democratic solution is early elections” .
PNL and USR deputies left the chamber after Natalia Intotero, the PSD deputy presiding over the session, announced the new distribution of roles. PNL’s Gabriel Andronache disputed the allocation, arguing it violated the initial agreement on leadership positions for the legislative term. USR deputy Cătălin Drulă criticized the vote, noting that AUR and SOS now hold four of the 12 votes in the Permanent Bureau, strengthening their influence .
Meanwhile, PNL’s Siegfried Mureșan, the party’s candidate for prime minister, reiterated that PNL would not support a PSD-led government, accusing the party of seeking to “squander public funds.” He stated that PNL, USR, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) collectively hold more parliamentary votes than PSD, though no group currently commands a majority . UDMR has indicated it could back a PSD-formed government under certain conditions, though it remains committed to Mureșan as its joint candidate for prime minister .
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