Romania's govt. survives no-confidence vote amid recent protests

PanARMENIAN.Net - Romania's Social Democrat government survived a no-confidence motion by the centre-right opposition in parliament on Wednesday, February 8 with ruling coalition partners abstaining from the vote, according to Reuters.

Lawmakers from the ruling coalition, Social Democrats, their long-time allies ALDE, and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, which has about 61 percent of parliamentary seats, abstained.

The motion needed 233 votes, or 50 percent of lawmakers, to topple the government.

An esimated half-million Romanians took to the street in another night of protests on February 5 with many calling on the government to quit even after it scrapped the corruption legislation that sparked the week of public outrage.