The new Romanian government passed the investiture vote in the parliament on Tuesday afternoon, with 303 votes in favor and 27 against.

The cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Monday is based on a Liberal structure, with 4 members of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), but none of the pro-presidential Democratic Party (PD).

The National Liberal Party (PNL), the UDMR, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the group of national minorities voted for the validation of the two-party governmental formula. The MPs representing PD and the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) left the meeting when the parliament cast vote on the new cabinet.

The validation requires the minimum 235 votes in favor out of the total of 469 MPs.

"The parliament's vote on the government's reshuffle expresses the will of the largest part of the political class to set aside futile bickering, that is like a parasite on the activity of the Executive and of the state institutions," Prime Minister Tariceanu said after the vote.

The prime minister stressed that the vote cast by the two houses signify parliament's will to provide the required political stability, thus enabling the achievement of Romania's main priorities related to narrowing the gaps separating it from the European Union states.

The revamped government, which excluded PD members, is made up of 15 ministers, one minister-delegate, one vice-premier and the prime minister.

Twelve of the 17 ministers of the new cabinet were given green light by the specialized parliamentary commissions at the hearings of Monday evening and Tuesday. The remaining five have already held posts in the incumbent government.

Romania is currently witnessing a period of political turbulence. The feud has pitted President Traian Basescu's PD against Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu's PNL. Meanwhile, the opposition Social Democrats are trying to impeach the president.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2007)