The Mureşan Cabinet faces the investiture vote

Designated Prime Minister Siegfried Mureşan and his team of ministers will appear before the plenary session of Parliament today to present the government program and seek a vote of investiture from the senators and deputies. Under the Constitution, the government lineup proposed by Siegfried Mureşan requires the support of half plus one of the total number of senators and deputies-meaning 233 votes in favor out of 465 parliamentarians. According to statements made yesterday by Csoma Botond, leader of the UDMR deputies, the PNL-USR-UDMR coalition did not have the necessary votes to confirm the Mureşan government as of last night. This is also confirmed by designated Prime Minister Siegfried Mureşan, who announced yesterday morning that he still needed 33 to 40 votes to secure parliamentary approval.

What is certain is that today will see a heated parliamentary session, much like yesterday's proceedings in the specialized committees-the second day of hearings for the ministers proposed by Siegfried Mureşan, some of whom received favorable opinions while the majority received negative ones.

Among those who received a favorable opinion yesterday is Mircea Abrudean, President of the Senate and candidate for the position of Minister of Internal Affairs in the Mureşan Cabinet. Among Mircea Abrudean's priorities for the Ministry of Internal Affairs are securing borders, protecting citizens, strengthening Romania's capacity to respond to new security threats, combating domestic violence and femicide, and fighting drug trafficking.

Mircea Abrudean stated: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs is part of Romania's national security architecture, and its institutions must be prepared for risks that have evolved significantly in recent years. Cross-border crime, hybrid threats, and risks to critical infrastructure can rapidly shift from the realm of public order to that of national security. Furthermore, the changing security landscape in the Black Sea region necessitates the development of surveillance capabilities for both maritime borders and critical infrastructure. At the same time, security begins with the protection of people. I envision a state that protects its citizens when they need it. We must rebuild trust in the Romanian Police and place the protection of life and citizen safety at the heart of the Ministry's activities."

The second minister to receive a favorable recommendation was Dragoş Pîslaru, the nominee for the position of Minister of Investments and European Projects-a role he currently holds. Addressing the specialized committees, Dragoş Pîslaru stated that, over the past 12 months, Romania has secured 10 billion euros in European funds (8 billion from cohesion funds and 2.5 billion from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan), marking an unprecedented achievement. Raluca Turcan, the nominee for Minister of Labor, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity, received a negative opinion from the members of the relevant parliamentary committees. Her hearing was marked by several incidents, including having her microphone cut off just as she was presenting her proposal regarding service pensions.

"You have already exceeded the initially agreed time by six minutes (...) Thank you; you spoke very eloquently and well. We are convinced that all these recurring issues you bring up every four years will ultimately be resolved-as always-by a Constitutional Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional," said the session chair, Adrian Solomon (PSD).

Regarding service pensions, Turcan stated: "When it comes to service pensions, there is an anomaly not found in other countries: having people at the prime age for the labor market retire and then immediately get rehired the very next moment (...) That is why the bill currently in Parliament-aimed at reconciling service pensions with salary income-is an initiative I urge us all to support, as it would add 1.5 billion lei to the state budget."

Other measures announced by Raluca Turcan include eliminating the excessive taxation of part-time contracts in the healthcare and education sectors, as well as for families with children and young people classified as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).

Oana Gheorghiu, the nominee for Minister of Health, also received a negative opinion. This also drew a reaction from Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Mureşan: "Oana Gheorghiu, who built a hospital from scratch starting with a budget of zero lei, received a negative opinion as Minister of Health from the PSD members who haven't built a single hospital, even though they had the entire national budget at their disposal." He went on to note that this amounted to "a vote rejecting competence and values."

The hearing of the current Deputy Prime Minister in charge of state-owned enterprise reform was tense, as former Health Ministers-Social Democrats Alexandru Rafila and Alexandru Rogobete-accused her of lacking the competence for the role, which she herself likened to managing an non-governmental organizations.

Oana Gheorghiu was actually interrupted several times by PSD representatives while answering questions.

One of the nominees who received a surprisingly favorable endorsement is Oana Ţoiu, the candidate for Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ţoiu, who has served as Foreign Minister in the Bolojan cabinet for over fifteen months, stated during the hearings that she aims to "continue" the course she has already set.

"Our main objectives are very clear: strengthening security and ensuring the safety of Romanian citizens are our primary goals, given that we are the EU state sharing the longest border with the war [in Ukraine - Ed.]," she stated.

According to the USR nominee, Romania will focus on strengthening its partnership with the USA, "which rests on two pillars: security and investment."

Oana Ţoiu also told lawmakers that Romania has the "power and the right" to participate in any international negotiation. "Regarding representation, I want to highlight a crucial principle that must be an imperative for Romania's foreign policy: the capacity, right, and power Romania has secured to pursue the national interest in any international negotiation... Romania has earned the right to sit at the table of any negotiation," she asserted.

According to the nominee for Foreign Minister, the institution requires reinforcement in terms of both personnel and state budget funding. Ţoiu pointed out that "35% of foreign service staff positions are unfilled" and that "99% of the funds allocated for human resources" within the ministry have already been spent.

Social Democrat Florin Manole asked Oana Ţoiu whether it was justifiable for the Romanian state to pay $21,000 in monthly rent for the luxury villa housing Romania's ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru. Oana Ţoiu replied that the contract in question had been extended during the tenures of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, a fellow party member of Florin Manole.

Andrea Chiş-nominated for Minister of Justice, a former judge at the Cluj Court of Appeal and former member of the Superior Council of Magistracy-received an unfavorable opinion from the specialized committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. When asked about the amount of the pension she currently receives and about the special pensions for magistrates, Andreea Chiş said: "My pension is currently 40,000 lei. I did not set it myself. Regarding the amount, I have maintained that a pension should not exceed one's salary. I warned as early as 2018 that a wave of retirements would follow, precisely because there was pressure within the system; judges felt this pressure and were offered the chance to leave honorably and enjoy an easier life. (...) My position has been consistent-though it was not adopted-and the pension amount does not depend on me. It seems unfair for there to be a discrepancy between pensions already being paid and those of people retiring later. (...) It might be considered unfair, but if we acknowledge that something was done wrong at some point-or if society perceives it that way, regardless of what we magistrates might want-it is important to realize that we cannot perpetuate a situation indefinitely simply because it happened once. Whether or not it is possible to reduce pensions currently in payment depends on the Constitutional Court, which has already issued a ruling. It is not something that depends on me. Speaking personally, it was not the money that drove me to become a judge, to seek promotion to a specific court, or to serve as a member of the CSM."

Another favorable opinion was issued for Bulcsu Koppany Otvos, the UDMR candidate for the position of Minister of Culture. The final ministers to undergo hearings last night were Mihai Dimian-nominated as Minister of Education and Research-Cseke Attila-nominated as Minister of Development, Public Works, and Administration-and Diana Buzoianu-nominated as Minister of Environment, Waters, and Forests.

Today, all the aforementioned individuals, together with Prime Minister Siegfried Mureşan and their colleagues who were heard by parliamentary committees on Monday, will await the investiture vote in the plenary session of Parliament.