USR rejects Veștea government as 'Temu' cabinet, pushes for minority coalition with PNL and UDMR

USR unanimously rejects Veștea government

The Political Committee of the Save Romania Union (USR) voted unanimously on Wednesday not to support the investiture of the government proposed by prime minister-designate Adrian Veștea. The party described the cabinet formula as "profoundly anti-reformist" and warned it would generate additional costs for the state budget without the capacity to deliver necessary reforms.

The Veștea government does not have the support of the citizens, nor will it have ours! Turncoats can shift voting power, but not the legitimate support of citizens. Romania does not need a majority based on turncoats, but one based on trust.

The decision came after intense political manoeuvring following the fall of the previous Bolojan government, which was brought down by a combined motion of PSD and AUR. USR has now mandated its president, Dominic Fritz, to open negotiations with PNL leader Ilie Bolojan, UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor, and President Nicușor Dan in search of a way out of the crisis.

The 'Temu' government criticism

Dominic Fritz sharpened his rhetorical attack by comparing the Veștea cabinet to products sold on the Chinese platform Temu, suggesting a cheap promise with a high real cost. He argued that the over 100 independent, unaffiliated MPs in parliament would be "bought individually" to secure a majority, making the government expensive and dysfunctional.

If some miracle happens and this government actually passes, it would really be a Temu government, not very functional, but certainly very expensive, because we must be clear that these over 100 independent, unaffiliated, all these orphans of Parliament, will in fact be bought piece by piece and that will cost Romanians dearly first of all.

Fritz denounced the rebranding of former SOS and POT parliamentarians under new names as a "festival of rebranding" and insisted the core problem was not the prime minister's personality but the PSD's attempt to regain state resources through intermediaries.

Minority government proposal with PNL and UDMR

Following a private meeting with Ilie Bolojan and Kelemen Hunor, Fritz confirmed that USR stands ready to form a minority government with the two parties. He argued that no stable majority coalition was currently possible and that a minority executive would be more coherent than the Veștea option.

We must get used to the idea of a minority government. Any majority form we see now is illusory, and that is why I believe USR, PNL and UDMR could form such a government.

Fritz added that USR ministers have continued delivering reforms in recent months and that this path must be maintained. If the Veștea government fails the parliamentary vote, USR will present its own concrete proposals for stable governance.

Divergent views with President Nicușor Dan

Despite supporting Nicușor Dan in his successful presidential campaign, USR now finds itself in open disagreement with the head of state. Fritz acknowledged that the party and the president hold "two different analyses of the political moment and two completely different perspectives on how to exit this situation."

We have completely different perspectives from Nicușor Dan regarding how we can exit this political crisis. I hope that at some point we will again arrive at a common perspective.

The president has sought to exclude the far-right AUR party from governance by potentially co-opting the PSD, while USR insists that combating extremism requires fighting "PSD-ism" and the corruption and privileges it represents.

Next steps: fierce opposition or alternative proposals

Should the Veștea government somehow secure the 233 votes needed for investiture, USR promised a "fierce, clear, integral opposition" in parliament. The party vowed to rally public opposition and to introduce legislative initiatives to improve citizens' lives, while expecting that bills like a proposed anti-NGO law would not pass.

If the government falls at the vote, Fritz underlined that USR would remain in government and push for a minority cabinet. He reiterated that the party was not clinging to power, but that the country needed responsibility and efficiency after what he called a "tragedy for Romania" caused by PSD and AUR's removal of the previous executive.