In Romania, the National News Agency is reporting that the government has survived a de facto motion of no-confidence. It was tabled in the Senate in protest against the government’s changes to a heating subsidy.

In the vote, 66 Senators supported the anti-government motion and only 62 voted in favour of the government. There was one abstention. However, technically, the motion failed because it required 69 votes, or an absolute majority of the 137 seats there.

It was only a de facto no-confidence motion because Art. 113 (1) of the Constitution outlines the conditions of a true no-confidence vote. It states: “The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate may, in joint session, withdraw confidence granted to the Government, by carrying a motion of censure by a majority vote of the Deputies and Senators.” In fact, the vote in the Senate was on a so-called “single motion” that is governed by Art. 157 (1) of the Senate’s parliamentary regulations. So, the government would not have fallen even if an absolute majority had voted against the government.

The opposition was quick to make it clear that even though the vote failed, the government was in a minority. This may make it more difficult for legislation to be passed in the future.