February 11 (SeeNews) - Romania's prime minister-designate and National Liberal Party (PNL) leader, Ludovic Orban, said on Tuesday that he and his second government will seek a vote of confidence in parliament on February 24.
Hearings of proposed cabinet ministers will be held by special parliamentary committees on February 17, 18 and 19, Orban said in a televised statement broadcast by Digi24.
On Monday, Orban submitted to parliament the new government list which includes the same ministers as in his previous cabinet, as well as a slightly updated government programme containing new proposals regarding European funds and public administration.
On Thursday, Romania's president Klaus Iohannis appointed Orban as prime minister-designate tasked with forming a transitional government - a day after parliament dismissed Orban's minority cabinet, bringing closer the possibility of early election.
On Wednesday, the centre-right government led by Orban was toppled in a no-confidence vote in parliament requested by opposition left-wing Social Democrat Party (PSD).
If parliament refuses to endorse Orban or a possible second nominee for prime minister, the president can dissolve parliament and call early elections.
Following the vote in parliament, Orban said on Wednesday evening that he will deliberately seek the rejection of the first two proposals of the president in order to trigger a snap general election that PNL hopes to win, as PNL is far ahead of PSD in recent opinion polls.
"From our point of view, we will speed up the procedures as much as possible, so that in the 60-day period provided for by the Constitution we succeed in the parliament rejecting two governments," Orban said at the time.
Some 47.4% of Romanians would vote for PNL, if parliamentary elections were held now, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Institute of Marketing, Analysis and Polling (IMAS) and commissioned by local radio station Europa FM that were released last week.
Romania's next regular parliamentary elections are to be held in March 2021.