Romania's new govt wins confidence vote, 1st female PM confirmed

BUCHAREST -- Romania's new government headed by Social Democrat Viorica Dancila, the third one in less than 13 months, won the vote of confidence in the parliament on Monday.

The coalition cabinet of the Social Democrat Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats was validated with 282 votes in favor, 136 against and one abstaining in a joint plenary session of the bicameral legislature. The number of votes in favor is much higher than the required 233 votes, out of the total 465 lawmakers.

Dancila, a 54-year-old Romanian deputy of the European Parliament from the part of Social Democrat Party, has thus become the first female prime minister in the history of this eastern European country.

"My term's goal is that, in 2020, Romania will be in the top half of the ranking of the strongest economies in the European Union, so that the youth should no longer leave Romania, and those who already left wish to come back home," Dancila told the parliament before the voting.

She called on the political class to show maturity, while reminding that Romania is celebrating the Great Union Centenary this year and next year is going to take over the Presidency of the EU Council.

"I'm totally open to dialogue with all political forces, with the Romanian president, to generate consensus in respect to such major topics for our country that are about our national interest," said Dancila.

When talking about foreign policy, Dancila said she intended to expand the European dimension in terms of the governing act. "I will pay special attention to Romania's strategic partnerships and, in particular, to our partnership with the United States of America," she said.

She urged Romania to show "total openness" in international cooperation and in the diplomatic relations with other states.

The ruling majority was also supported in the voting by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, whose leader Kelemen Hunor said earlier the union's lawmakers had decided to give their vote to the Dancila's cabinet, in order to "give the coalition another chance."

The against votes came from main opposition the National Liberal Party, as well as the Save Romania Union and the People's Movement.

Dancila has 27 members in her cabinet, including four deputy prime ministers and 25 ministers, with two of deputy prime ministers also serving as minister of the environment and minister of regional development and public administration, respectively.

The voting was held after ministers who were nominated had been heard separately in the relevant parliamentary committees. The ministers will take the oath at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace late Monday.