Romania's pro-European coalition government collapsed on Tuesday after a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan passed in parliament, plunging the country into political uncertainty and raising fears of a fiscal crisis.

The motion, jointly submitted last week by the left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD) — which left the coalition in late April — and the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), was approved by 281 lawmakers, with only four voting against.

Lawmakers from Bolojan's centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR), and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party abstained from voting.

The collapse of the coalition threatens to derail economic reforms and Romania's commitments to the European Union and NATO. Analysts warn that early elections or a prolonged political deadlock could exacerbate the country's fiscal challenges.

Source: www.aljazeera.com