Romanian Prime Minister Ousted From Office By His Own Party

Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu says he will remain in office until a new government is installed.

Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and his government have been ousted from power in a no-confidence vote that was submitted by members of his own Social Democratic Party.

A total of 241 lawmakers approved the no-confidence motion -- more than the 233 votes required to force the government from office.

The governing Social Democratic Party filed the motion, saying that Grindeanu had failed to implement the party's political agenda.

Grindeanu has been in office since January.

He had refused calls from his party to resign and rejects the assessment of his performance.

Grindeanu claims that the powerful leader of Romania’s Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, wants to replace him with a party loyalist.

"This is a sad day for us. The premier did not perform," Dragnea told lawmakers before the vote on June 21. "It didn't go badly, it went quite well, but that's not enough."

Dragnea is banned from serving as prime minister himself because of a 2016 conviction on vote-rigging charges.

Speaking after the vote, Grindeanu said he would remain in office until a new government is installed.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP