Romania's parliament on Monday rejected liberal politician Adrian Vestea as prime minister-designate, a fresh political upset following months of turmoil in the EU and NATO country bordering Ukraine. Nominated by the president, Vestea needed 233 votes across both houses of parliament to form a government but only received 189, the official vote count indicated. Some deputies left the chamber before the vote started, after a day of debate on Vestea's proposed cabinet line-up. In early May Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan saw his government brought down in a no-confidence motion with support from the centre-left and far-right. After the first new prime minister-designate dropped out, Romanian President Nicusor Dan tapped Vestea, a 52-year-old fellow Liberal, on June 14 to form the next government. Vestea's own party, led by Bolojan, had refused to back the prime minister-designate, threatening him with expulsion from the party. Read moreSea drone explodes in the Romanian port of Constanta, raising fear of Ukraine war spillover Vestea is a former mayor and regional government leader who also served as national development minister. He had previously said he would negotiate with "the pro-Western democratic political parties" in parliament in hopes of finding a governing majority. In the lead-up to Monday's vote he also held talks with the AUR, the largest far-right party in the country, critical of the EU. After his defeat he pointed the finger at the AUR, which holds 90 seats in parliament. "I have a clear conscience. I did my duty," he told reporters. "Forty-seven days without a government are costing us dearly in European funds, trust and time that we will not get back," he added in a Facebook post. "I remain convinced that responsibility should take precedence over political calculations." Snap election prospect The no-confidence vote in May that brought down Bolojan's government came after the centre-left Social Democrats (PSD) – Romania's largest political party – quit the pro-EU coalition and joined with far-right parties in voting against the government. Dan has repeatedly ruled out a government that would include the rising far right. Dan was elected president in a rescheduled vote in May 2025 following the controversial annulment of presidential elections in December 2024 over allegations of Russian interference.