BUCHAREST, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Teodor Melescanu was elected president of the Romanian Senate in a run-off on Tuesday. He was supported by the ruling Social Democratic Party.
Melescanu obtained 73 supporting votes from the 136 attending senators, while his competitor, Alina Gorghiu of the main opposition National Liberal Party, received 59 votes. Gorghiu was endorsed not only by her own party but also by the Save Romania Union (USR), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE).
Three candidates ran for the Senate post. As none of them received majority support from senators present during the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes entered the second round, according to the rules.
Former Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, ALDE's leader, announced his resignation last week after the party he had led withdrew from the ruling coalition late last month.
This is the first time the Social Democratic Party confronted the opposition in parliament after the collapse of the ruling two-party coalition.
The Social Democrats, who hold the largest number of seats in the Senate, could have nominated a senator from their own ranks to run for the post of Senate president. However, they chose to support former Foreign Minister Melescanu and ALDE member as Popescu-Tariceanu's successor.
By doing so, the Social Democrats tried to use Melescanu's influence within the ALDE to win the support of some parliamentarians so as to secure majority support in the upcoming parliamentary vote of confidence or the eventual impeachment procedure to be initiated by the opposition.
The move was criticized by Popescu-Tariceanu as an attempt to split his party.
Romania's governing coalition broke down on Aug. 26 as the ALDE decided to withdraw from the government led by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who is also leader of the Social Democratic Party.
The withdrawal meant that the Social Democratic Party lost its majority in parliament. The Social Democrats would now need 29 supporting votes there to ensure majority. Support from the ALDE appears to be particularly important, as well as support from the smaller parties, the group of national minorities and some independent MPs.
The Social Democrats won the parliamentary elections at the end of 2016 and subsequently formed the two-party coalition government. Dancila became the third prime minister of the coalition government in January 2018 and she assumed the party's top position in late May this year after her predecessor, Liviu Dragnea, had been sentenced to prison.
