January 30 (SeeNews) - Romania's opposition left-wing Social Democrat Party (PSD) submitted on Thursday a censure motion against the liberal government led by prime minister Ludovic Orban for proposed changes to the electoral legislation which PSD views as undemocratic, the party's leader Marcel Ciolacu said.
The censure motion was signed by 208 MPs - from PSD and from Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Ciolacu said in a televised statement broadcast on Digi 24.
In order to pass, the motion needs to be approved by 233 MPs.
The motion will be read in parliament on February 3, according to data posted on the lower chamber website.
On Wednesday, Orban's cabinet assumed responsibility before the parliament for a bill which stipulates that local election be held in two rounds instead of only one - a move highly criticized by PSD. On December 23, the government proceeded in the same way with the budget bill in order to ensure its fast-track approval.
Entitled, "PNL/Orban government - the privatisation of Romanian democracy", the censure motion says that the government must urgently be dismissed for changing the electoral system without prior consultation or debate.
Earlier this month, Orban said that together with president Klaus Iohannis he will aim to trigger an early general election by the middle of this year. He did not specify how he will try to achieve this objective.
Romania is expected to hold its next regular parliamentary elections in March 2021.
The Orban cabinet was voted into office in early November after the Social-Democrat government led by Viorica Dancila lost a vote of confidence.
Latest opinion polls show that 45% of Romanians would vote for PNL if general elections were held now, while only 18.5% would support PSD. Some 11.5% of respondents said they would vote Union Save Romania (USR) party, a poll conducted by IMAS and commissioned by Europa FM showed.
The survey was conducted by IMAS during December 4-18. The sample consisted of 1,011 respondents aged 18 and older and eligible to vote. The margin of error does not exceed 3%.