And the beat goes on

As expected, Siegfried Mureşan did not, yesterday, become Romania's new prime minister. His proposed government managed to get just 182 votes of the 233 it needed. Romania's president, Nicușor Dan, can now dissolve parliament and call an early election (something that has never happened in Romania's contemporary—post 1989—history) but said late last night that he has no intention of doing so. He is instead expected to nominate yet another potential PM on Monday.

Dan's objections to an election are twofold. Firstly, he claims that the country would be hamstrung for months by a lengthy election campaign, mainly because the current interim government has limited powers and can't put forward next year's budget. This is not entirely correct. The Romanian constitution states only that an election must be held within 90 days of parliament being dissolved. That suggests an election around Christmas time. However, there is nothing to say that the election can't be held much earlier, except that the campaign must run for at least 30 days. In theory, Dan could therefore dissolve parliament today and hold an election during the first week of November.

His second objection is (perhaps) more reasonable, namely that a new election would not deliver any real change, with the make up of any new parliament probably looking much like it does today. That may be so, but throwing the dice is about the only card he has left to play. Naming yet another PM with no real chance of forming a majority is pointless.

His best option, but one he last night again said he is ruling out, is a PSD-AUR government, only Dan does not want AUR anywhere near government, which in the normal run of things is admirable. But right now a PSD-AUR coalition is the only viable majority in parliament. It's the majority that brought down the government in May and began the current crisis. 
And the longer that crisis goes on, the more popular AUR becomes. As I have said before and will continue to say until I am blue in the face, an AUR in government now, alongside PSD (which for all its many, many faults will prevent AUR doing anything too stupid/damaging) is preferable to AUR in government on its own, which is where we are heading (in 2028, when the next election is scheduled) if the crisis continues. And, I would add, we are also headed for an AUR majority in 2028 if Dan somehow convinces the PNL and PSD to work together again, perhaps in the shape of some 'technocrat' government, which might be what he tries next.

No, Romania has two options: an election now, which might indeed leave us in the same position but which would at least defuse tension in society, or a PSD-AUR government. Anything else would leave the way clear for AUR to grow in popularity and risk it winning a majority in 2028. And that is a risk the country cannot afford to take.