Ponta's government

Romania's ruling Social Democrat Party leadership on Thursday decided to submit an impeachment motion in parliament against its own government and voted to exclude Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu from its ranks.

As Prime Minister-designate Dacian Ciolos prepares to form a new technocratic government, one of his main challenges is a tight 2016 budget, stretched by pending tax cuts and other pay awards nodded through ahead of the next election.

Ciolos faces more pressure after parliament approved a controversial law increasing public-sector wages by 10 per cent from December.

National Liberal Party (PNL) Co-Chair Alina Gorghiu says the rejection of the censure motion on Friday proves the disrespect and defiance of PM Victor Ponta and his colleagues of the Social Democrat Party (PSD). She asserts PNL will try again this autumn, when another censure motion would definitely succeed.

The Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has 14 days to come up with a report on the General Prosecutor's request to open an investigation against Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the Chamber Speaker Valeriu Zgonea declared on Saturday.

Romania's bicameral parliament on Monday approved a government reshuffle, triggered by the break-up of the country's ruling coalition, with Victor Ponta retaining his post as Prime Minister.

The government was approved with 377 votes, while 134 lawmakers voted against the cabinet.

Romania's President Traian Basescu asked Prime Minister Victor Ponta to revoke a fuel excise coming into force on April 1.

In a letter, Basescu wrote that introducing the excise would "put an exaggerated and pointless pressure on the economic environment and on the consumers," as Romania's AGERPRES quoted him as saying.