国际英语新闻:Romanian parliament OKs coalition cabinet

BUCHAREST, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Romania's new government led by Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu won a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday.

The coalition cabinet was validated with 260 votes in favor and 186 against in a joint plenary session of the 465-seat bicameral legislature, much more than the required half-plus-one of the total MPs.

The three parties in the coalition -- the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Alliance (USR-PLUS), and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) -- have a total of 244 seats in the parliament.

The Liberals signed an agreement with the other two parties on Monday to form a governing coalition, after more than a week of negotiations.

"My team and I will do everything we can to achieve the two objectives that we have announced, and I am sure that all political parties agree with them: to get past the health crisis as quickly and as best possible, and to get the economy back on its feet," Citu said earlier in the parliament.

Citu will lead a new cabinet composed of two deputy prime ministers and 18 ministers. The cabinet will hold its first meeting later in the day soon after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace.

Citu, 48, was nominated late on Tuesday by President Klaus Iohannis to form a new government after the general election early this month.

The new prime minister had worked in several banks at home and abroad before he was elected as a senator in 2016. He became the finance minister in November last year.

Romania held the parliamentary election on Dec. 6. Five parties received tickets to the new parliament, but no one obtained a sufficient majority to govern alone.