Romania’spro-EU govt falls after 3 months

BUCHAREST: Romania´s pro-European government collapsed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote on Wednesday after only three months in office, bringing the EU member closer to early elections. A total of 261 of 465 MPs voted in favour of a motion against the minority government led by Ludovic Orban, which took over in November. “The Orban government fell. It´s a very big step for Romanian democracy,” said Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (PSD), which had launched the motion. The move was triggered by Orban´s attempt to change the law for local elections, which the PSD saw as a threat to its chances in a poll due in June.